Gaza Kamal Adwan hospital chief calls for help amid Israel’s ‘extermination campaign’
The director of a Gaza hospital, currently besieged and targeted by Israeli military forces, has appealed to the international community to intervene and halt what he describes as the regime's continuous "campaign of extermination" in the northern region of the Palestinian territory.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital located in Beit Lahiya, issued an urgent plea for assistance in a statement released on Monday. This appeal follows an incident on Sunday in which Dr. Abu Safia sustained injuries due to an Israeli airstrike targeting the hospital.
In a plea for immediate intervention, a representative speaking for the healthcare system’s staff and management has urged the World Health Organization, global bodies, and humanitarian organizations to take decisive action. The call underscores an urgent need for measures to safeguard medical facilities and the personnel within them.
Abu Safia highlighted the escalating danger faced by personnel working within Kamal Adwan Hospital, currently enduring a 50-day siege. The facility has been subjected to direct bombings on a daily basis over the past week, significantly heightening the risks for those on the ground.
He stated that the targeting of the hospital underscores Israel’s apparent aim to impede Palestinian medical personnel from delivering humanitarian assistance.
“The situation in the northern Gaza Strip remains dire as the international community remains largely unresponsive to the ongoing violence and loss of life, a spokesperson highlighted. The distressing reality unfolds daily at Kamal Adwan hospital, where the impact of the crisis is starkly evident.”
Abu Safia reported that numerous residences in Gaza, struck by Israeli military operations, have turned into “graves for their inhabitants,” due to the lack of equipment necessary for rescuing individuals trapped beneath the debris.
He highlighted the harsh reality confronting them, describing it as a systematic campaign of eradication aimed at every aspect of the northern Gaza Strip, particularly impacting its healthcare infrastructure.
“We face daily attacks from multiple sources, including bombs, artillery shelling, quadcopters, and Apache helicopters.”
On October 7, 2023, Israel commenced a significant military operation in Gaza following an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian group Hamas. This marked a response amid escalating tensions and ongoing conflicts between the parties.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 44,211 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, in Gaza. Additionally, 104,567 individuals have sustained injuries, amidst the continued hostilities involving the occupying regime.
In a significant escalation last month, Israel ramped up its military operations in the northern Gaza Strip, effectively isolating the area from the remainder of the territory and severely restricting the flow of food aid into the region.
The situation is also hindering the repatriation of Palestinians who were forcibly removed from their homes in northern Gaza.
