- Al-Amal Hospital in Gaza closed after Israeli forces’ evacuation
- Patients and staff relocated amidst ongoing conflict
- Surrounding hospitals also impacted; heavy airstrikes continue
According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, al-Amal Hospital in southern Gaza is currently inoperable due to the evacuation of both medical personnel and patients by Israeli forces.
Monday saw the relocation of 27 personnel, six patients, an additional individual, and the remains of two recently deceased individuals who had been shot and slain at the facility in Khan Younis.
Twenty hours passed while they were confined to ambulances, as reported by the PRCS.
According to intelligence gathered by the Israeli military, “terrorists are utilising civilian infrastructure” in the region.
Reportedly, over the weekend, Israeli forces encircled both al-Amal and the adjacent Nasser hospital amidst fierce fighting to the west of Khan Younis.
In the interim, hostilities persist in the vicinity of the al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, where the military claims to have apprehended approximately 500 suspects associated with Hamas or Islamic Jihad and killed 175 “terrorists” during an eight-day-old operation.
The military asserts that Hamas has utilised hospitals as bases and has provided supporting evidence in the form of recordings and photographs. Hamas rejects the allegation.
The PRCS, which operates al-Amal hospital, stated on Sunday that Israeli troops had been bulldozing and erecting barriers along the facility’s perimeter while firing smoke grenades in an attempt to force staff, patients, and displaced people to evacuate.
Amir Abu Aisha, a member of staff, was reported to have been slain in the crossfire by Israeli forces. Additionally, one displaced individual sustained a head wound. The second victim succumbed to his injuries later on.
The medical organisation declared in the afternoon that all displaced individuals and patients capable of autonomous movement had been evacuated and were en route to the al-Mawasi region, located west of Khan Younis.
“We were awakened at 02:30 on Sunday.” Gunfire was present incessantly in the vicinity of the medical facility. Amir, a colleague of ours, met his demise in the human resources department. On Monday, as he walked to al-Mawasi, one of the paramedics at al-Amal, Samy al-Omry, said, “He was struck in the chest by a bullet and died instantly.”
“Thereafter, [Israeli vehicles] unexpectedly entered the hospital, seized it, and barricaded the entrances with mountains of sand.” “Humongous drones continued to issue the order, ‘Immediately evacuate the hospital,'” he added.
[Israeli forces] opened fire on us each time we attempted to retreat until they dispatched a message accompanied by a child who had previously exited, instructing us to proceed along the pathway they had established.
Monday, the PRCS reported that after being forcibly evacuated overnight, the remaining personnel and injured had been confined to ambulances for twenty hours.
It was stated that as the teams attempted to depart through the military checkpoint, they confronted obstructions due to extensive infrastructure destruction and excavation.
“As two of the teams attempting to clear the road of debris and obstructions continued their efforts, the Israeli forces opened fire on them, causing direct injuries to those involved.
Attempts were undertaken to evacuate them; one of them was rescued by the teams, whereas the second case remained unresolved as the fate of the individual involved remained uncertain.
Later, Israeli troops compelled the ambulances to return to al-Amal, “where they discovered the hospital gate locked, preventing the teams from re-entering,” the statement continued.
According to the United Nations, the wounded patients and PRCS personnel purportedly arrived in the southern city of Rafah on Monday afternoon.
The PRCS issued a statement on Monday evening expressing “deep regret for the closure of the al-Amal hospital,” explaining that “the international community failed to provide the essential protection for its teams, patients, and [displaced people].”
It was further stated that the hospital was repeatedly bombarded and besieged for over forty days before the occupation forces reinstated the siege and ordered all in.
Tuesday morning, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported that their forces were conducting targeted attacks on terrorist infrastructure and “eliminating terrorists” in the al-Amal region, which includes the hospital, and in the neighbouring al-Qarara.
The personnel discovered explosive devices, grenades, weapons, vests, and a substantial quantity of ammunition during the operation, the statement continued.
More than twenty fighters were slain in close-quarters combat and airstrikes, the IDF reported on Monday.
The IDF issued the following statement on Monday in response to a question regarding the hospital evacuation rumours: “Hamas must cease using hospitals and other civilian infrastructure as shields for their terrorist activities, which harm innocent civilians.”
Consistent with international law, the IDF shall maintain its operations while ensuring the welfare and protection of civilians.
Al-Amal Hospital was the target of an Israeli assault in February. Twenty suspects, including Hamas members, were detained before their withdrawal, according to the IDF.
The situation at the neighbouring Nasser hospital, which was also seized last month, remained uncertain. Tuesday, however, scores of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles surrounded the complex, according to eyewitness accounts obtained by AFP.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the IDF reported that its forces were “maintaining focused operational operations in the vicinity of the al-Shifa hospital, all the while ensuring that no harm came to medical personnel, patients, civilians, or equipment.”
It was added that during the previous day, the military discovered weapons and engaged and eliminated several terrorists in the vicinity of the hospital.
Médecins Sans Frontières warned that heavy airstrikes and fierce combat continued around al-Shifa on Sunday night, endangering patients and medics who were confined within with very few supplies. Staff members of the organisation confirmed this.
The charity further stated that the surgical department is reportedly severely damaged, rendering patients unable to receive care, and that entry to the facility has been restricted for days.
“Take a step towards financial freedom – claim your free Webull shares now!”
Local personnel also informed us that numerous arrests of medical personnel and others are occurring in the vicinity of the hospital.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, according to the IDF, were “barricading themselves” inside and “firing from within the Shifa maternity ward and emergency room and throwing explosive devices from the Shifa burn ward.”
The initial Israeli assault on al-Shifa occurred in November. Following a thorough investigation, they detonated a substantial tunnel comprised of rooms that ran beneath the location before withdrawing.
The health ministry of Gaza reports that since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, over 32,400 people have been slain in the territory, with 81 deaths occurring within the last twenty-four hours.
The conflict commenced on October 7, when Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the abduction of 253 others.
