Hamas calls attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital 'crime against humanity'

GAZA

The Palestinian group Hamas condemned the Israeli military’s ongoing assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, describing it as an "unprecedented crime against humanity" in a statement Sunday.

It said the region is under relentless bombardment, with the hospital being directly targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

"The occupation army continues its relentless bombing and systematic destruction of northern Gaza, focusing particularly on the Jabalia refugee camp and Beit Lahia.

"The strikes are targeting residential areas, shelters, schools and especially Kamal Adwan Hospital,” it added.

Hamas also said that threats were made to evacuate patients, the injured and displaced individuals from the hospital, calling it "a crime of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement under the shadow of international silence and inaction."

The group appealed to Arab and Islamic nations as well as governments and global entities to take immediate action using all means to support the Palestinian people, protect holy sites and liberate their land from occupation.

-Hospital director raises alarm

Kamal Adwan Hospital Director Husam Abu Safiyya confirmed that the attacks have been ongoing since Saturday.

He said the hospital’s maternity and neonatal units were struck by Israeli forces.

"The hospital is being deliberately targeted. The whole world hears us, but unfortunately, our calls remain unanswered,” he said.

As the largest hospital in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan Hospital, named after a member of the Fatah Central Committee who was assassinated in 1973, served more than 400,000 people before the assaults.

Located in Beit Lahia, it has endured dozens of missile and firearm attacks since early October alongside a military blockade.

Despite these challenges, a small team of two doctors and a few nurses continues to provide critical care under dire conditions.

Hospital officials said that Israel now treats the facility as a "military target."

Since Oct. 7 last year, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 45,259 Palestinian deaths, including 17,492 children and 11,979 women, with 107,627 wounded, according to reports.

Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble.

Civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, has been heavily targeted, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul