The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly condemned the Israeli assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital on Friday, 28 December 2024. Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launched a large-scale military operation around the hospital, storming its premises and setting parts of the facility on fire.

The WHO described the systematic dismantling of Gaza’s healthcare system by Israeli forces as tantamount to "a death sentence" for tens of thousands of Palestinians who rely on medical care. It further stated that the assault has rendered the last major health facility in northern Gaza non-operational, following severe damage caused by the fire.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the WHO highlighted the devastation, noting that critical departments of Kamal Adwan Hospital had been destroyed. It reported that 25 critically ill patients and 60 healthcare workers remain trapped inside, while other patients in serious condition were evacuated to the Indonesian Hospital, which itself is severely damaged and unable to function adequately.

Expressing grave concern for the safety of patients and staff, the WHO underlined that this attack comes after months of increasing Israeli restrictions on access to the hospital and repeated assaults since October 2023. The organisation called for an immediate end to violence, the protection of healthcare services, and the urgent implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza.

On Friday, the Israeli army forcibly evacuated medical staff, patients, and residents from nearby areas to Al-Fakhoura School, where they were detained in the schoolyard. Reports reveal that detainees, including hospital staff and patients, were forced to strip and were taken to an undisclosed location. Gaza’s government media office reported that 350 individuals were detained, including 180 staff members and 75 patients.

The media office condemned the assault as a war crime, accusing Israeli forces of systematically destroying Gaza’s healthcare system as part of a broader policy of genocide against the Palestinian people.

In response, Hamas categorically denied any military presence in the hospital, affirming that it served civilians and operated transparently under international and UN supervision.

Since 7 October 2023, Israeli actions in Gaza, supported by the United States, have resulted in over 153,000 Palestinian casualties, including countless women and children. More than 11,000 remain missing amid massive destruction and famine, marking one of the gravest humanitarian crises in modern history.