Staff and patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza accused Israel of numerous atrocities in an interview with CNN, according to CNN on December 23**.
They allege that Israeli soldiers bulldozed the bodies of dead patients during a raid on hospitals, had a military dog attack a man in a wheelchair and shot doctors who had already been interrogated. Due to the lack of basic medical conditions and nutrition, a number of elderly people and children died while in the Israeli garrison.
In its statement, the IDF did not respond to the allegations, saying its actions around the hospital were directed against Hamas. In addition, the IDF admitted that an operation was carried out at the hospital: "The forces arrested 80 *** people, some of whom were involved in the 'brutality**' of October 7
Satellite image of Kamal-Advan Hospital razed to the ground (top) and bodies buried by bulldozers (bottom) Source: CNN
The IDF was stationed inside Kamal-Adwan Hospital for eight days in mid-December. Al Jazeera and Palestinian TV said that on the same day, at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli soldiers drove armored bulldozers to destroy the tents where patients and displaced people lived, killing more than 20 people. This news was confirmed by the World Health Organization, and the official website of the United Nations reported that an Israeli military bulldozer destroyed the tents of some internally displaced people outside the hospital, causing an undetermined number of people.
The hospital's director, Dr. Ahmed Al-Kahlo, called CNN on 11 December, the first day of the Israeli army's arrival, confirming that the hospital was surrounded by Israeli forces.
Abu Safiya, a paediatrician who remained at the hospital, said that the next day, Israeli forces demolished the western wall of the hospital complex. He said the soldiers used a megaphone to broadcast to the hospital, asking people who were hiding inside to come out. What happened after that was "a nightmare" for those who remained in the hospital. CNN said he appeared "anxious" during the call because he feared that Gaza would be cut off.
According to Abu-Safiya, he and four other doctors were allowed to stay in the hospital to care for 62 people, including several babies. However, the hospital was surrounded by Israeli forces, and some of its buildings were badly damaged by the shelling, making it impossible to provide medical care at all. Hospitals have no food, water, electricity, and milk for children, and there are hardly any medicines available.
Abu-Safiya and several other staff members alleged that Israeli forces had bulldozed bodies that had recently been buried in a makeshift cemetery in the hospital compound as they left the hospital compound. The head of the hospital's pediatric services, Hossam Abu Safiya, said in an interview with ** on the 23rd: "This morning,The (Israeli) soldiers dug up the graves, dragged the bodies away with bulldozers, and then crushed them with bulldozersI've never seen anything like this before. ”
The **and** he shared with CNN showed decomposing human remains scattered around the hospital. Hospital Chief Ed Sa and another, Asma Tantesh, also accused the IDF of committing atrocities. "The bodies outside the yard were plowed right in front of our eyes, and we kept yelling at them, but they turned a deaf ear," Tantesh told CNN.
One ** recalled that the Israeli army was "half a meter away from us and surrounded us in the yard" and that she had begged for water from someone (the IDF), but to no avail. "We had no water, our throats were dry, we were thirsty, and we just begged them to give us a glass of water from morning till night," she said. She said some children had died in the Israeli operation in the hospital, adding that they had tried to dilute the milk with a saline solution in an attempt to feed the youngest patients in the hospital.
The IDF has previously argued that Hamas civilian institutions in and around Gaza, such as hospitals, hide terrorist infrastructure, and that a strike against them is essential in efforts to eliminate Hamas from the Gaza Strip. But the actions of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been hugely controversial, with humanitarian organizations claiming that medical facilities in Gaza are no longer able to provide basic services.
In response, Abu Safiya and Changsa countered that the hospital only provided medical services, and that the people were civilians and medical workers. Abu Safiya said we told them that there were no "resistance fighters" in the hospital, but no one listened to us.
In response to the footage of the firearms released by the IDF, Abu Safiya and Sa** said that the firearm they were photographed belonged to hospital security guards. Abu Safiya said:"I saw firsthand that the army asked displaced civilian youth and medical teams to bring the guards** who remained in the hospital guardhouse, and they took pictures of them in front of me. ”
Abu-Safiya also told CNN that the Israeli army opened fire on people who had already been interrogated and deliberately tortured doctors and patients. One of his fellow doctors, Dr. Ayman Rajab, was released by soldiers after being interrogated and was shot in the chest as he tried to return to the hospital. He survived the ** and is now with his family, who are also displaced. Another doctor was shot in the leg and Abu Safiya's own son was shot in the abdomen.
Abu Safiya said he was trapped inside the hospital and watched as his injured colleague and his son crawled down the road until an ambulance came to them and took them to another hospital.
On another occasion, Abu Safiya said that in the early morning of Friday (15th), Israeli soldiers called him and asked him to help them check some movements outside the hospital. Following their orders, he found an injured old man lying on the ground in front of the building. But he said that when Abu-Safiya tried to get close to the old man, the Israeli soldiers who were watching began to open fire.
"They shot at me and laughed at my ......," he saidI dodged their **, but they hit me again and told me to take him in again. I finally brought the man in, but it was too late. Due to a lack of medical resources, the man was unable to receive ** in the hospital and later died of his injuries. ”
In addition to shooting doctors, the Israeli Army also lets dogs bite people, CNN said. In another incident, the Israeli military sent military dogs wearing cameras into the hospital for reconnaissance. One of the military dogs "attacked and bites" an elderly man in a wheelchair before being called away. Safia said;The old man screamed in pain. Children and women wept at the horrific sight. I can't help anyone. This scene is nothing short of a nightmare......One of the Israeli soldiers came and took the dog away and laughed at the old man and what the dog had done to him. ”
A child in the hospital who received ** for a broken leg also recalled that the dog entered the hospital and attacked an elderly man. "The Israelis let the dogs come and attack us," he said. They torture us. They shot at us. The night was horrible, we haven't slept since we came here, they let the dog attack an old man and the dog kept biting him. ”
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least five detainees were subjected to IDF** after being told to return to hospital. At present, the Ministry of Health of Gaza has asked human rights organizations to launch an urgent investigation into the "Kamal-Adwan Hospital".
The IDF did not respond to the allegations in its response to CNN, saying its actions around the hospital were directed against Hamas. In an interview with CNN, the IDF admitted to conducting an operation at the hospital: "The forces arrested 80 *** people, some of whom were involved in the 'brutality**' on October 7
Commercial satellite imagery shows that the ground outside the hospital complex has been leveled just before the IDF withdraws from the hospital area. Earlier this week, the IDF released a paragraph of the interrogation of hospital director Abu Safiya and issued a side statement saying he admitted that the hospital was being used for military purposes. It is unclear whether the statement was made under duress.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in the latest news that the Israeli army withdrew from the hospital on the 23rd, and according to **, an Israeli military bulldozer destroyed the tents of some internally displaced people outside the hospital, causing the number of ** to be determined for the time being.