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Israel using 'booby-trapped robots' around Kamal Adwan Hospital

21 December 2024 20:49 GMT

The Israeli military is using "booby-trapped robots" around Kamal Adwan Hospital in the besieged northern Gaza as it demands a complete evacuation of the facility, its director has said in a social media post.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya has been pleading for international help as the hospital comes under direct shelling from Israeli forces, sharing the following update with reporters:

"A short while ago, Kamal Adwan Hospital was targeted without any prior warning using various types of weapons. We are now facing direct bombing of the intensive care unit again. The nursery, maternity, and all departments of the hospital are being targeted by the occupation forces with all types of weapons, including sniper fire, tank shells, and quadcopters.

This is a fierce attack without any warning, and we do not understand why the bombing is occurring at this particular time, especially since we have been informed of the evacuation of the hospital within the coming hours, which would be a disaster. We are currently the only hospital providing remaining humanitarian services in northern Gaza.

Evacuating the hospital within hours means relocating 66 patients, along with all hospital equipment and medical personnel, which could have severe negative consequences for the hospitalized patients.

We have urgently called on the world to intervene and protect the healthcare system, and we continue to plead for immediate action to safeguard it from this ongoing attack.

For more than an hour now, shells are raining down on us from every corner, mile, and direction.

We do not know why the bombing is happening or why we are being targeted in this manner. We hold the world responsible for what is occurring and for our repeated appeals. We have been urging the world to protect this healthcare system for over 70 days, but unfortunately, there seems to be no response.

At this moment, we do not know where we can transfer our patients, but it is likely that the Indonesian Hospital could serve as an alternative. However, transporting patients and providing the necessary resources is not easy. The Indonesian Hospital has non-operational generators, and there is also an oxygen station that is not functioning. It will take a long amount of time to restore services at the Indonesian Hospital.

It is clear that the occupation forces are using the pretext that this is a combat zone to justify attacks on the hospital.

Since the invasion of the Jabalia camp, we have been providing services quietly and offering humanitarian care. This ongoing aggression will negatively impact the healthcare services for those remaining in northern Gaza, as well as the patients currently hospitalized in our facility."