Israeli forces withdrew from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza following a Friday raid, during which the Palestinian health ministry reported dozens of male medical staff and some patients were detained. According to health officials, the Israeli military stormed the hospital complex in Jabalia, one of the few medical facilities left struggling to function in northern Gaza amid ongoing military operations. Unverified footage from the health ministry, circulated after the military’s withdrawal, showed visible damage to the hospital buildings. Medical sources confirmed that around 44 of the hospital’s 70 staff members were detained by Israeli forces, with 14 later released, including the hospital’s director.
The Israeli military has not commented directly on the specifics of the hospital raid. On Friday, however, an Israeli spokesperson stated that their operations near the hospital were based on intelligence suggesting the presence of “terrorist elements and infrastructure” at the site, pointing to concerns that Hamas could be using civilian infrastructure to shield its activities. Medical personnel on-site reported at least two children dying inside the hospital’s ICU due to disrupted power, after shelling allegedly hit the hospital’s generators and oxygen supply station.
Kamal Adwan Hospital had been hosting over 600 people, including patients and family members who remained in the building, despite Israeli orders for medical staff to evacuate. Hospital representatives have indicated that medical staff were determined to stay, refusing to abandon patients in critical condition, especially with severely limited medical supplies. According to Marwan Al-Hams, a health ministry official, the withdrawal has left many patients in immediate danger due to a lack of both medical professionals and essential medicines, with three nurses injured and several ambulances damaged during the raid.
Over the past three weeks, northern Gaza has seen intense military activity, particularly in Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya. Gaza’s health ministry estimates around 800 people have died in these areas since the offensive began. Israel’s government maintains that these operations are aimed at dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure and eliminating fighters who have regrouped in northern Gaza. The Israeli military also reported that three of its soldiers were killed in combat in northern Gaza during operations.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “extremely dire,” highlighting that without reliable evacuation routes and adequate supplies, the remaining civilians face devastating conditions. The ICRC warned that continuous calls for hospital evacuations would severely limit medical access for civilians still residing in these areas. The humanitarian organization has appealed for safe evacuation channels and an increased flow of essential resources to alleviate the suffering in northern Gaza.
A senior Hamas official, Basem Naim, described Israel’s actions in northern Gaza and at the Kamal Adwan Hospital as violations of international humanitarian law, actions that, he argued, Israel could not undertake without tacit approval from Western nations. Israel has long asserted that Hamas uses civilian sites like hospitals and religious buildings as shields for its operations, a claim Hamas denies, emphasizing that civilian infrastructure remains strictly non-military.
In response to the mounting displacement of northern Gaza residents, the Israeli military has expanded the designated humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi, in the southern Gaza Strip, where they have instructed civilians to relocate. Al-Mawasi has previously served as a designated safe zone for those displaced by military operations, though accessibility and resources in the area are often reported as inadequate.
Violence is not limited to Gaza; tensions are also intensifying in the West Bank, where Israeli forces reportedly killed a Hamas member during a raid in Tulkarm. According to Israeli security forces, the man had been planning an imminent attack, while Hamas confirmed the man, Islam Jamil Awda, died in a confrontation after Israeli forces surrounded a home in the Tulkarm camp. The current conflict has exacerbated West Bank tensions, with an increase in clashes and rising fatalities, including both armed combatants and unarmed civilians.
The conflict originates from the October 7 assault led by Hamas fighters, resulting in the death of approximately 1,200 people in Israel and the capture of about 250 hostages who were subsequently taken to Gaza. Israel’s ongoing air and ground offensive in Gaza has caused extensive damage throughout the densely populated territory, with the death toll now nearing 43,000 according to Palestinian sources, as essential infrastructure and civilian areas face extensive destruction.
