Israeli troops forced the evacuation of an Indonesian hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, and many patients, some on foot, arrived at another hospital miles away in Gaza City, the territory's Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Indonesian Hospital is one of the few hospitals still partially functioning in the Gaza Strip, located on its northern tip, an area that has been under intense pressure from the Israeli military for almost three months.
Israel says its operations around three communities in northern Gaza surrounding the hospital – Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia – target Hamas militants.
An Israeli military statement said the Indonesian hospital was used by militants to carry out attacks on Israeli troops and that it “facilitated the safe evacuation of civilians, medical staff and patients from the area both before and during the operation,” but this did not happen provide evidence.
Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.
Munir Al-Bursh, director of the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, said the Israeli army ordered hospital officials to evacuate on Monday, then stormed the hospital early Tuesday morning and forced those inside to leave.
He said two other medical facilities in northern Gaza, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, were also subject to frequent attacks by Israeli soldiers operating in the area.
Medics said that Israeli forces have been operating near Kamal Adwan Hospital since Monday.
An Israeli security official said the area was a Hamas stronghold.
“Kamal Adwan is at the center of the most complex fighting in Jabaliya,” he said. “We are very careful.”
The hospital authorities refuse to evacuate and leave the patients
Officials at three hospitals have so far refused to order Israel to evacuate their facilities or leave patients unattended since a new military offensive began on October 5.
Israel says it, in cooperation with international agencies such as the World Health Organization, facilitated the delivery of medical supplies, fuel and the transfer of patients to other hospitals in the enclave during this period.
Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said they opposed the army's new order to evacuate hundreds of patients, their companions and staff, adding that the hospital was under constant Israeli fire that damaged generators, oxygen pumps and parts of the building.
Meanwhile, Israeli bombing continued in other parts of the enclave, and doctors said at least nine Palestinians, including a civilian emergency service member, were killed in four separate military attacks across the enclave on Tuesday.
According to Israeli data, the Gaza war was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in Gaza.
Since then, more than 45,200 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's campaign against Hamas, according to Gaza health officials. Most of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced and much of the Gaza Strip is in ruins.
Talks aimed at brokering a ceasefire and the release of hostages between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Cairo, with sources close to the negotiations saying an agreement could be signed in the coming days. Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip express hope that this round of talks will end the war and allow life to resume.
A new proposal by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages has gained momentum this month, although no breakthrough has yet been recorded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that progress was being made in hostage negotiations with Hamas, but he did not know how long it would take to see results.
Splits between Israel and Hamas over possible ceasefire in Gaza they narrowedaccording to Monday's remarks by Israeli and Palestinian officials, although fundamental differences have not yet been resolved.