CNN —
Israeli forces have breached a hospital compound in northern Gaza, as the United Nations warns that the war’s “darkest moments” are unfolding there.
After several days of siege at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahya, Israeli forces entered the hospital premises twice in the past 24 hours and opened fire on parts of the facility, Gaza’s Health Ministry and hospital director told CNN. did.
Health officials say the facility is running low on supplies and in dire need of help as wounded people pour in from nearby areas following renewed Israeli attacks in the northern region.
“One of the darkest moments of the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the northern Gaza Strip," UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Friday.
“Israeli forces are not only putting virtually the entire population at risk of bombing, siege and starvation, but also forcing them to choose between mass displacement and being trapped in an active conflict zone.” He added that Israel’s actions could constitute a crime. It’s against humanity.
The Gaza Health Ministry announced on Saturday that Israeli forces had detained all male medical staff at the hospital while confining the woman “in one of the hospital rooms without water or food.”
Dr. Hassam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said in a video that Israeli tanks and bulldozers entered the hospital compound late Thursday and began firing on parts of the facility, adding: “Everything in the hospital was destroyed. sectors are under direct shelling,” he added.
“Instead of receiving aid, we are receiving tanks,” he said.
After hours of communications failure and “heavy shelling,” Safiyah told CNN late Friday that Israeli forces were still present at the hospital.
“We all gathered in one place, and the military called me. When I came down, they put me in a tank and started interrogating me about my statements and my contacts with the media. ” said Abu Safiyah.
In his speech, he said Israeli forces were “searching all the rooms, evacuating the refugees and removing 44 personnel.”
“The situation is extremely tragic and frightening, and the bombing continues,” Abu Safiyah said.
Kamal Adwan is one of three minimally operating hospitals in northern Gaza and the closest hospital to Israeli military operations in Beit Rahiya and Jabaliya refugee camps. Despite its limited capacity, it receives most of the wounded from surrounding fighting.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that the agency had “lost contact with hospital staff” since the attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital.
“This development is very worrying given the number of patients being treated and the number of people sheltering there,” Ghebreyesus said on the X program. Ahead of Friday’s raid, WHO and its partners said it “managed to reach Kamal Adwan and was transferred amidst hostilities in the neighbourhood.” 23 patients and 26 caregivers went to Al Shifa Hospital. ”
The Israeli military said in a statement on Friday that it was conducting an operation in the area of Kamal Adwan Hospital “based on intelligence information regarding the presence of terrorists and terrorist infrastructure,” adding that in the weeks leading up to the operation, “Israel Defense Forces facilitated the operation,” he added. Evacuate patients from the area while maintaining emergency services. ”
COGAT, the Israeli agency that manages the flow of aid to the Strip, announced on Friday that several patients and their attendants had been evacuated from the facility with support from UNICEF and WHO. Hospitals were also provided with fuel, blood units and medical equipment.
However, the WHO’s Ghebreyesus told X that the hospital was housing around 200 patients, with hundreds more seeking shelter.
“Shocked by the entry of bulldozers and tanks”
Maher Shamiya, a Gaza health ministry official, told CNN on Friday that Israeli forces had destroyed part of the hospital’s walls. The oxygen station was also reportedly damaged by Israeli fire.
Shamiya said the military entered the hospital grounds for a second time on Friday morning and began separating the men and women.
“After that, I couldn’t contact anyone.”
“I was shocked to see bulldozers and tanks enter the hospital grounds,” Safiyah said in a video message, adding that the tanks began firing into the upper floors, breaking windows and causing “panic, fear. , an atmosphere of fear was created,” he added.
“Everyone at the hospital gathered in the stairwell. It was a very harrowing scene,” he said.
One video showed Abu Safiyah speaking from inside an intensive care unit crowded with patients and medical staff. He said some people were seriously injured and died. Abu Safiyah said many buildings around the hospital were set on fire.
A convoy of supplies from the World Health Organization arrived at the hospital late Thursday night, he said. Video showed fuel tankers and other vehicles near the facility.
Abu Safiyah said the convoy delivered five days’ worth of fuel, 200 units of blood and several other supplies, but no food or water.
He said he was in contact with Israeli officials.
“I explained the situation of the patients and injured people in the hospital and emphasized that their condition was extremely dangerous and that they needed to be evacuated.”
Gaza’s Ministry of Health told CNN on Friday that 23 injured people were transported in six ambulances. Abu Safiya said there were 70 seriously injured people in the hospital who needed to be evacuated.
Abu Safiyah also told CNN that there were many injured in the Jabaliya area in northern Gaza, which has been under heavy Israeli military operations in recent days.
“We have no medical aid to reach them, and even if they could contact us, I have no means of helping them. There is nothing we can offer them. ”
21 days have passed since Israel stepped up military operations in northern Gaza. Gaza authorities say the military has stopped aid to parts of the area and evacuated many residents. Israel claims it is preventing Hamas from regrouping.