Attacks on Hospitals in Northern Gaza Deepen Humanitarian Crisis

TDT | Manama                                                      

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Email: ashen@newsobahrain.com

The humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza has reached alarming levels as attacks on critical health infrastructure intensify. Over the past two weeks, the siege on Jabalya and northern Gaza has severely threatened lives, with two key hospitals directly hit on 18 October. The attacks on Al Awda and Indonesian hospitals, two of the last three operational hospitals in North Gaza governorate, have exacerbated an already dire situation.

Despite ongoing calls for evacuations, patients in these facilities had no safe place to go. As a result, both patients and medical staff were injured in the hostilities. At the Indonesian hospital, two patients tragically died following a power outage and critical supply shortages, forcing some medical personnel to flee for their lives. The hospital is no longer operational.

The loss of these hospitals worsens the crisis, as northern Gaza urgently needs more functioning health facilities. Kamal Adwan hospital, the last remaining major hospital in the area, is now handling two-thirds of the region’s over 370 hospitalized patients—many suffering from severe trauma. The facility is critically low on essential supplies, including medicine, beds, and fuel, further jeopardizing patient care.

Since yesterday, a United Nations request to access North Gaza to rescue injured civilians trapped in rubble has gone unanswered by Israeli forces. The delay is endangering lives as every minute counts in the efforts to save the wounded.

In his statement, Muhannad Hadi, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, emphasized the importance of safeguarding hospitals, medical staff, and civilians, reiterating that they must never be targeted. He called for immediate access for humanitarian and rescue teams to prevent further loss of life.

“International humanitarian law must always be upheld. Hospitals, patients, medical personnel, and civilians must be protected at all costs,” Hadi stressed.

The ongoing hostilities and attacks on medical facilities underscore the urgent need for immediate action to provide life-saving support to northern Gaza's beleaguered population.