The Israeli army is attacking three major hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip as doctors and authorities in the enclave call for immediate intervention from the international community.
On Tuesday, week-long Israeli attacks intensified against the besieged Kamal Adwan Hospitals and the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, and al-Awda Hospital, located east of the Jabalia refugee camp.
Two explosive-laden unmanned robotic vehicles previously planted by the Israeli military exploded in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan in the early hours of Tuesday, injuring approximately 20 patients and medical staff, hospital director Hussam Abu Safia told Al Jazeera.
This was the first time Israeli forces used explosives outside Kamal Adwan, but there have been similar reports of their use to detonate buildings in northern Gaza.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said: “A witness told us that much of the area around the hospital has been cleared of buildings, the infrastructure destroyed and severely damaged, preventing movement in and out of the hospital. .”
The hospital has been repeatedly bombed by the Israeli army, leaving several departments, including the intensive care unit, inoperable.
Al-Awda, a charitable facility providing free medical care in the northern part of the enclave, was attacked on its third floor by the Israeli military on Tuesday. Parts of the building caught fire, which also spread to nearby residential buildings.
The Indonesian Hospital, a larger health facility, has also been experiencing an increase in Israeli attacks and threats, having also been threatened by Israeli forces with evacuating the entire facility.
Al Jazeera's Mahmoud said the two hospitals have been providing medical supplies to the beleaguered Kamal Adwan and also transferring patients out of there when possible.
“The Indonesian Hospital has been paralyzed by attacks in recent months. Much of the facilities have been damaged, forcing many to evacuate. Starting at midnight, the Israeli army issued a warning to everyone inside the hospital, including patients, to leave the building and take to the streets in the cold weather amidst intimidation from tanks and quadcopters. , said.
Hospital directors, health authorities and human rights organizations inside and outside Gaza have condemned the attacks and called for international help, but the situation in the north has only worsened.
Gaza's Health Ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the Israeli military is trying to take the three northern hospitals out of service and called for intervention.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said more than 20 attacks on the Kamal Adwan hospital in recent days using drones, shelling and shooting demonstrate that “genocide persists” in Gaza.
Aid delivery is “almost impossible”
The Israeli military continues to launch numerous deadly airstrikes in Gaza each day, and medical sources confirmed on Tuesday that there were at least 32 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Some of the latest Israeli attacks included the bombing of a house in central Gaza that killed four people, including a child and two women.
The Israeli military has continued to block humanitarian aid bound for the enclave, and the chaos created by its ground offensive presents countless challenges in safely getting the few trucks that do reach designated locations, aid groups say.
On Monday night, an Israeli drone strike hit an area approximately 1 kilometer from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, targeting a humanitarian aid convoy.
Al Jazeera's Mahmoud, reporting from the hospital, said the Israeli army first allowed gangs to attack the convoy with the aim of looting it, then launched a drone attack on security guards trying to protect the cargo.
“These appear to be deliberate attacks to cause more chaos. So far Israel has killed 30 of these security guards.”
Tom Fletcher, head of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA), said that in a year in which more humanitarians have died than any other on record, Gaza is currently facing its most dangerous situation yet.
“As a result, despite enormous humanitarian needs, it has become almost impossible to deliver even a fraction of the urgently needed aid. The Israeli authorities continue to deny us meaningful access: since October 6, more than 100 requests for access to northern Gaza have been denied. “We are also now seeing the breakdown of law and order and the systematic armed looting of our supplies by local gangs.”
