The Israeli army is targeting three major hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip as doctors and officials in the group have called for urgent international action.
On Tuesday, the week-long Israeli attack intensified on the Kamal Adwan Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, and the al-Awda Hospital located east of the Jabalia refugee camp.
Two unmanned explosive devices were planted already Israeli soldiers exploded near Kamal Adwan on Tuesday morning, injuring about 20 patients and medical staff, hospital director Hussam Abu Safia told Al Jazeera.
This is the first time that Israeli forces have used explosives outside of Kamal Adwan, but there have been similar reports of them blowing up buildings in northern Gaza.
Reports from Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said, “An eyewitness told us that many areas around the hospital have been cleared of buildings, damaged equipment and severe damage, which prevents movement in and out of the hospital .”
The hospital has been repeatedly bombed by the Israeli army, rendering various departments, including the intensive care unit, out of service.
Al-Awda, a free aid center in the north of the site, was hit by Israeli forces on Tuesday. Parts of the building caught fire, which spread to nearby apartments.
The Indonesian hospital, a major hospital, has been facing increasing threats and threats from Israel, with Israeli soldiers threatening to evacuate the entire facility.
Al Jazeera's Mahmoud said the two hospitals have been providing treatment to the besieged Kamal Adwan and transferring patients there if possible.
“The hospital in Indonesia has been crippled by terrorist attacks in the past few months. Most of the land has been destroyed, forcing many to move. “Since midnight, the Israeli army issued a warning to everyone inside the hospital, including the patients, to leave the building and stay in the streets in the winter amid fear and tanks and quadcopters,” he said.
Hospital administrators, health officials and activists inside and outside Gaza have condemned the attacks and called for international aid, but the situation in the north has worsened.
Gaza's Ministry of Health said on Tuesday that the Israeli army was trying to put all three hospitals in the north out of action, and called for intervention.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said the 20 attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital in recent days using drones, bullets and guns show that the “carnage continues” in Gaza.
Providing support 'almost impossible'
The Israeli army continues to launch several deadly attacks on Gaza every day, with medical sources confirming on Tuesday that at least 32 people have died in the past 24 hours.
Among the most recent Israeli attacks was the bombing of a house in central Gaza that killed four, including a child and two women.
The Israeli army continues to block aid to the checkpoints, with the resulting chaos making it difficult for the limited number of vehicles to reach the designated areas, aid groups said.
On Monday night, Israeli airstrikes hit an area about 1km from Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, targeting a humanitarian group.
Al Jazeera's Mahmoud, speaking at the hospital, said that the Israeli army allowed the terrorists to attack the group with the intention of seizing it, so that later they would launch a drone attack on the guards who wanted to protect the property.
“This seems like a deliberate attack to cause more harm. Israel has killed 30 of these guards so far.”
Tom Fletcher, the head of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA), said that in a year where more people have been killed than recorded, Gaza is currently facing a serious threat.
“As a result, although there is a great need for aid, it has become difficult to provide even a fraction of the aid that is urgently needed. Israeli authorities continue to deny us access – more than 100 requests for access to northern Gaza have been denied since 6 October. We are now witnessing the breakdown of law and order and systematic theft of our property by local criminals. “