Israel forcibly evacuates Gaza's Kamal Adwan hospital and detains medical staff

Israeli forces have arrested and interrogated medical workers after forcing their way out of a major hospital in northern Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry said.

Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, was one of those interrogated by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), who accused him of “being a member of the terrorist group Hamas”, without providing evidence.

On Friday, an estimated 50 people, including health workers, were killed in Israeli air strikes near the hospital, the Ministry of Health said.

The IDF said it had performed surgery there, complaining that the hospital was a “terrorist haven for Hamas”.

15 critical patients, 50 caregivers and 20 health workers were transferred to a nearby Indonesian hospital, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The WHO said it was “shocked by yesterday's raid” on the hospital, which it said now means the last health center in the area is no longer operational.

Eid Sabbah, the head of the nursing department at Kamal Adwan, told the BBC that the army ordered the evacuation around 07:00 on Friday, giving the hospital 15 minutes to move patients and staff to the courtyard.

Israeli soldiers then entered the hospital and evacuated the remaining patients, he said.

The IDF said it “facilitated the safe evacuation of civilians, patients and medical personnel” before starting the operation.

The town of Beit Lahia, where the hospital is located, has been besieged by Israel in the northern parts of Gaza since October.

The UN said the area is “almost completely besieged” as Israeli forces severely block aid access to the area where about 10,000 to 15,000 people remain.

In recent days, the management of the hospital has issued requests to be protected, as they say that the facility has become a place where Israeli bombs and explosives are stored.

But the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) suspect that intelligence has shown that “terrorists” are using the Kamal Adwan hospital as a base for military operations in Jabalia.

In a statement on Saturday, the IDF said it had captured 240 soldiers.

It said that the IDF police were attacked during the operation and weapons were found and taken from the hospital area.

He added that Dr. Abu Safiya was among the medical staff questioned and “is suspected of being a Hamas terrorist, as well as Hamas engineering and anti-tank missile operatives.”

Hamas has called on the United Nations to intervene to protect the remaining medical facilities in Gaza.

“We also want UN observers to be sent to these institutions to find out the truth about what is happening,” said the statement on Saturday.

Gaza's deputy health minister, Dr Yousef Abu-Al Rish, told the BBC that around 100 medical workers were being interrogated by the IDF and alleged that some were being tortured.

The IDF did not comment on the latter allegations when contacted by the BBC.

Concerns remain over the state of Indonesia's hospitals, which doctors have warned are not equipped for patients.

“You can't call us a hospital, we are a shelter,” said Dr Abu-Al Rish on Friday.

The WHO added that an emergency operation is being planned at an Indonesian hospital to transport patients to southern Gaza for medical treatment.

Additional reporting by Shaimaa Khalil