ICSPR issues a statement and sends an urgent briefing note regarding the repeated and direct targeting of Kamal Adwan Hospital by Israeli occupation forces and the destruction of hospitals in northern Gaza.
Date: December 21, 2024
Urgent Statement and Appeal
ICSPR issues a statement and sends an urgent briefing note regarding the repeated and direct targeting of Kamal Adwan Hospital by Israeli occupation forces and the destruction of hospitals in northern Gaza.
ICSPR strongly condemns the deliberate and repeated targeting of Kamal Adwan Hospital by Israeli occupation forces. The hospital, along with staff, patients, and the injured, is subjected to direct bombing with explosive drones, and robots around the hospital, along with bullets and tank shells. This has led to the destruction of several buildings, especially the care and neonatal units, medical equipment, injuries among staff, and terrorizing of patients, the wounded, and forcibly displaced persons. Furthermore, the continued prevention of aid, medicine, medical supplies, food, and fuel from entering the hospital aims to put the facility out of service to complete the crime of emptying northern Gaza of its population in line with the genocidal plans of the generals. Reports indicate that the occupation forces are demanding the forced evacuation of the hospital, endangering and threatening the lives of those inside.
ICSPR denounces the continued international silence and failure to stop the genocide, ethnic cleansing, and total destruction of northern Gaza. It calls on the United Nations, World Health Organization, Red Cross, third-party states, and all international institutions to intervene to stop the grave crimes against Kamal Adwan Hospital and those inside it, prevent a massacre, and halt the genocide, starvation, and ethnic cleansing of northern Gaza’s population. Immediate action is required to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s population.
It is worth mentioning that ICSPR has sent briefing notes yesterday and today regarding the repeated Israeli crimes against Kamal Adwan Hospital and northern Gaza hospitals to the United Nations, World Health Organization, Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Human Rights Council, High Commissioner for Human Rights, Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union.
Through this briefing, we wish to inform you of the genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity that have targeted the health system in Gaza in the ongoing illegal war for 441 consecutive days. The Israeli occupation forces have been carrying out aerial, ground, and naval assaults on Gaza since October 7, 2023. The aggression, now in its 15th month, has resulted in (56,289) martyrs and missing persons and (107,338) injured. The aggression has caused the forced displacement of approximately 2.2 million citizens from their homes due to indiscriminate bombing and house demolitions using internationally prohibited weapons. All aspects of life have been destroyed amid U.S. support and European complicity from colonial-background states granting Israel a green light to continue the genocide.
During this aggression, Israeli forces have deliberately targeted medical teams and personnel. Not only were hospitals burned and bombed, but lifesaving medical supplies were also blocked, along with fuel necessary to operate hospitals. The health infrastructure has been devastated, with 80 health centers and 162 health institutions targeted, resulting in 34 hospitals going out of service.
In this briefing, we highlight the most prominent violations of the health system, including:
1. Targeting Medical Personnel:
Israeli forces have killed more than (1,750) martyrs from the Ministry of Health’s medical teams, including doctors, specialists, nurses, medical support staff, administrators, and paramedics. Of the medical martyrs, (72%) were men and (28%) were women. In addition, several remain missing. International volunteer doctors complained of deliberate attacks, forcing Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff to leave 12 health facilities after experiencing 26 incidents of violence, including bombing, attacks, and forced evacuations. Moreover, over (94) members of civil defense and ambulance crews were killed.
These actions violate the Geneva Conventions, to which Israel is a signatory, providing special protection for hospitals and medical personnel under international law, the Hague Conventions, and the Red Cross Committee.
2. Arresting and Torturing Medical Personnel in Israeli Prisons:
Israeli forces arrested (310) medical personnel, including the directors of northern Gaza hospitals, during every siege on Gaza hospitals. Detainees were subjected to inhumane conditions, torture, physical and psychological abuse, electric shocks, waterboarding, and deprivation of sleep and food. Some doctors died in Israeli prisons due to torture.
Many detainees were placed in dark, unventilated rooms, deprived of clothing and blankets, and left handcuffed and blindfolded for long periods, leading to limb amputations and martyrdom of several doctors. Among the prominent martyrs were Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi, head of the obstetrics department at Kamal Adwan Hospital, and Dr. Adnan Al-Barsh, head of orthopedics at Al-Shifa Hospital.
third:Targeting Hospitals in Northern Gaza
The Israeli occupation forces targeted all sectors providing health services, including public and private hospitals, health centers, and primary care facilities. The most prominent cases include:
- Al-Ahli Arab Hospital:
On October 17th, the hospital was bombed by Israeli forces, resulting in around 500 martyrs and over 600 injuries, most of them children and women. Many were charred bodies and dismembered remains. Amid a shortage of medical supplies, fuel depletion, and the Israeli military siege, the hospital was rendered out of service. - Indonesian Hospital:
The hospital faced threats and evacuation demands in preparation for bombing. Its surroundings were bombed, causing severe damage. Israeli tanks besieged the hospital, shelled it randomly, burned large parts, and destroyed sections. Medical staff and displaced people sheltering there were arrested. The attacks resulted in numerous martyrs and injuries, and the hospital walls were destroyed. The main generator was also bombed. - Al-Quds Hospital (Palestinian Red Crescent):
Over 400 patients and 12,000 displaced people were inside, along with medical staff. The hospital was threatened, besieged, and intentionally bombed. Ambulances, hospital facilities, and access roads were destroyed. Displaced people were forced to evacuate after repeated threats, and large parts of the hospital, including oxygen rooms and intensive care units, were burned. The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that the hospital was completely out of service. - Kamal Adwan Hospital:
The hospital was repeatedly threatened with bombing. The yard was shelled, and the hospital was besieged multiple times. Medical staff were mistreated and arrested. The occupation repeatedly targeted generators and repair crews. Ambulance teams were attacked despite coordination for patient evacuation. The ICU and oxygen rooms were targeted. Israeli forces used Palestinian detainees as human shields, forcing them to enter the hospital under threat. Some displaced people were arrested. More than 10 direct attacks were documented, injuring 22 people, including medical staff. Fires broke out, destroying parts of the hospital. 150 injured people remain, but only basic first aid is available. Currently, only one doctor remains at the hospital. The last orthopedic doctor in northern Gaza was killed on his way to the hospital. Dr. Hossam Abu Safieh’s son was killed, and the oxygen station, ambulances, and solar panels were destroyed. The hospital faces total shutdown. - Al-Shifa Medical Complex:
The hospital received over 3,000 cases daily during the war, far exceeding its capacity. It employed around 1,500 staff. 60,000 displaced people sought refuge there. The hospital faced bombing threats, siege, and multiple raids. Ambulances were denied entry and exit, leading to starvation and dehydration among displaced people. Patients, doctors, and displaced people were killed. Ambulance convoys were directly targeted. Israeli forces raided the hospital, destroying and burning medical equipment. Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the hospital’s director, was arrested. 13 children were executed by Israeli forces, and 20 people were buried under rubble. A mass grave with 400 bodies was later discovered. - Al-Awda Hospital:
The hospital was bombed and besieged multiple times, severely injuring medical staff and damaging hospital property. Ambulances were destroyed. Drug warehouses and ICU ambulances were targeted. Doctors and nurses were killed. On December 19th, 2023, the hospital was turned into an Israeli military base, with 240 people, including medical staff, patients, and displaced people detained inside without food, water, or medicine. The hospital was attacked again after reopening attempts, destroying water tanks, sterilization units, and solar panels. - Beit Hanoun Hospital:
The hospital was directly bombed and severely damaged, becoming completely out of service. - Hamad Hospital for Prosthetics:
The hospital was bombed and went out of service. - Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi Hospital:
The hospital sheltered 6,000 displaced people. Evacuation threatened the lives of 15 children on life support, 38 on dialysis, and 10 on ventilators. The hospital was besieged and targeted, rendering it out of service. - Turkish Friendship Hospital:
The hospital was completely out of service and turned into an Israeli military base. Satellite images showed Israeli vehicles and fortifications inside the hospital, connected to supply lines. - Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital:
The hospital was besieged and bombed, killing 60 people and rendering the hospital out of service. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor documented the killing of premature babies left behind after forced evacuation. - Mohammad Al-Durra Hospital:
The hospital was bombed with white phosphorus, killing the hospital director and his family, leaving the hospital out of service. - Al-Wafa Medical Hospital:
The hospital was besieged, bombed, and its director was killed. - Patient’s Friends Hospital:
The hospital was besieged, bombed, and partially burned. - Al-Karama Specialty Hospital:
The hospital was threatened, evacuated, besieged, and completely destroyed. - Al-Sahaba Medical Complex:
The hospital was bombed by Israeli artillery.Fourth: Prevention of Medical Supplies and Closure of CrossingsHospitals in northern Gaza suffer from a severe shortage of essential medical supplies, such as antibiotics, anesthesia for surgeries, and fuel necessary to operate oxygen rooms and intensive care units. This shortage has significantly impacted hospital functions and the provision of specialized care, putting citizens at imminent risk of death—especially premature infants, newborns, pregnant women, as well as the wounded, injured, and patients in urgent need of medical and surgical intervention. Israel deliberately prevents the entry of medical aid into the sector, blocks the entry of essential medical equipment, and restricts medical referrals for treatment abroad. This has placed direct pressure on the capacity and medical capabilities of hospitals and their teams, reflecting the occupation’s intent to eliminate survival chances for 2,000 patients receiving treatment in northern Gaza hospitals, whose lives are now at risk.
The Ministry of Health has recorded over 35,000 chronic patients at risk due to the prevention of medication entry. Additionally, 12,000 wounded individuals require treatment and travel, more than 3,000 patients with various illnesses need treatment abroad, and 12,500 cancer patients urgently require care. This comes amid the occupation forces’ closure of Gaza’s crossings for over 226 days and the occupation of the Rafah border crossing, the only gateway to Gaza.
Fifth: Targeting Paramedics and Ambulances
Israeli occupation forces obstruct the work of ambulances and medical teams by preventing them from rescuing the wounded and recovering the deceased, deliberately targeting ambulances in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, particularly articles 16 and 21. The number of ambulances damaged by direct Israeli targeting amounts to 136 vehicles. Due to repeated attacks, no ambulances remain in northern Gaza to assist the wounded and injured.
Sixth: Mass Graves in Hospitals
Following the withdrawal of Israeli forces from hospitals, horrifying massacres were uncovered, unimaginable by human conscience. The occupation forces buried people alive, placed them in black bags, and established mass graves for the martyrs, wounded, women, children, and the elderly. Their bodies were not spared from the tracks of Israeli tanks, which crushed the frail and wounded. Seven mass graves have been discovered inside hospitals, where the occupation detained the injured, tortured them inside the hospitals, and returned their bodies disfigured and unrecognizable to their families.
Based on the above, we hope for your immediate action to ensure the cessation of Israeli aggression, genocide, and the targeting of hospitals and medical staff. We urge your institutions to adopt this memorandum and take all necessary measures to ensure hospitals can operate and provide medical services, preventing the collapse of the healthcare system and the loss of more lives. Your support in addressing these demands and achieving international obligations in accordance with international laws and conventions is crucial.
We hope for swift intervention. Our hopes rest on you for a better tomorrow, as your contributions are vital in ensuring the right to a healthy and dignified life.
