The Israeli military battered Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza with heavy ground and aerial bombardment overnight Thursday into Friday, according to the director of the facility, who described as a “catastrophic” barrage.
“Tonight was one of the most difficult nights,” Abu Safiya said on a voice message, which was punctuated by the sound of bombardment. The area around the hospital has been targeted with intense strikes this week.
The scale and ferocity of the attacks blew off doors and windows on one side of the hospital, said Abu Safiya, adding water tanks “were blown away from the intensity of the explosion.”
“As of now, heavy bombing persists throughout the night, accompanied by ongoing destruction of buildings,” he added.
“It is a catastrophic scene, with airstrikes and artillery shelling occurring with unprecedented intensity and frequency.”
On Friday, COGAT, Israel’s aid agency said that “intense fighting has been taking place in certain areas of the northern Gaza Strip between IDF forces and terrorist organizations operating in the area.”
COGAT said the Israeli military had “allowed and facilitated the evacuation of patients, escorts, and staff” from Kamal Adwan Hospital, to other health centers in the northern and southern parts of the strip.
COGAT added that “efforts had been made to facilitate and coordinate the delivery of supplies to the hospital, including food, water, medical equipment, and fuel.”
But humanitarian agencies have warned that barely a trickle of aid has entered neighborhoods and hospitals in northern Gaza. Israel’s sustained aid restrictions have cut off between 65,000 to 75,000 trapped residents from access to food, water, electricity or reliable healthcare, the UN’s agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) reported on December 12.
On Thursday, the head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said Israeli authorities had repeatedly denied humanitarian access to Kamal Adwan Hospital, where at least 96 patients, and health staff, “urgently need support.”
“The World Health Organization was denied three times in the last four days to access the hospital to deliver medical supplies and fuel; transfer critical patients to Al-Shifa Hospital; and deploy an international emergency medical team,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.