Israeli occupation forces have detained Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, during a violent raid that has crippled the last major medical facility in northern Gaza. Eyewitnesses reported that Dr. Abu Safiya was beaten during his arrest, while dozens of other detained medical staff were subjected to degrading and humiliating treatment. The assault has deepened the already catastrophic situation, leaving northern Gaza without access to life-saving healthcare amidst relentless bombardments.

Kamal Adwan Hospital had been the sole operational medical facility in the area, providing critical care to thousands of patients. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli occupation forces deliberately targeted its infrastructure, destroying power generators and oxygen systems during the assault. The hospital’s closure has left over 60 healthcare workers and 25 critically ill patients stranded without resources to continue treatment, marking a complete collapse of medical services in the region.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned the attack, describing the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure as a “death sentence” for thousands of civilians. WHO warned that the systematic targeting of hospitals and medical workers violates international humanitarian law and endangers countless lives, particularly in a region already suffering from severe shortages of medical supplies and humanitarian aid.

“This is not just an assault on healthcare—it is an assault on humanity,” said Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence. Residents of northern Gaza now live in constant fear, facing relentless drone strikes and artillery fire targeting residential areas. Families are being forced to flee their homes, leaving behind the sick and wounded who have no access to even the most basic medical care.

The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital is part of an ongoing campaign by the Israeli occupation forces to dismantle Gaza’s essential infrastructure, targeting civilians and deepening the humanitarian crisis. “Israel” has attempted to justify these assaults with claims of targeting Hamas, but these allegations have been categorically denied by Palestinian officials and healthcare workers.

Since the start of the Israeli genocidal war against Palestinians in October 2023, over 45,484 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed, with entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble. The destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, combined with the obstruction of humanitarian aid, has created a catastrophe of unprecedented scale, as the people of Gaza continue to endure relentless attacks.