Israeli forces forced the evacuation of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and many patients on Tuesday, medics said. The hospital is one of the few partially functioning hospitals in the Gaza Strip and has been under intense military pressure for nearly three months.
The Israeli military claims that the hospital was being used by Hamas fighters to launch attacks against its troops, but Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone. The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of the hospital on Monday, before storming it in the early hours of Tuesday and forcing those inside to leave.
Two other medical facilities in northern Gaza, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan Hospitals, were also subject to frequent assaults by Israeli troops. Hospital officials have refused to evacuate their facilities or leave patients unattended since the military offensive began on October 5.
Despite claims that Israel has been facilitating the delivery of medical supplies and fuel to the hospitals, medics say that the constant Israeli fire has damaged generators, oxygen pumps, and parts of the buildings. The area is considered a Hamas stronghold, with Israeli security officials saying it is “at the heart of the most complex fighting in Jabaliya.”
The conflict in Gaza has resulted in over 45,200 Palestinian deaths and displaced most of the population of 2.3 million people. A new bid to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages has gained momentum, but no breakthrough has been reported yet.
Recent updates include nine Palestinians killed in military strikes on Tuesday, bringing the day’s death toll to 15. An Israeli airstrike also killed six people in Jabalia earlier that day.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-army-forces-patients-out-north-gaza-hospital-medics-say-2024-12-24