Gaza Hospital Shutdown: Patients and Staff Face Danger

You're in a neighborhood hospital, surrounded by conflict. Now, visualize being forced to evacuate, strip in the cold, and walk for hours with wounded people. This is what just happened at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. Israeli forces raided the hospital, arresting the director and dozens of staff. Witnesses say patients, even those on ventilators, were still inside when this happened. The World Health Organization warned that the facility might no longer function due to the raid. The director, Dr. Abu Safiya, and other staff are unaccounted for. Eyewitnesses claim Dr. Safiya was assaulted before being detained. From the hospital, patients and staff were moved to a nearby hospital that's been described as "destroyed and nonfunctional. " Patients and staff were separated by gender and told to remove their clothes. Some were beaten if they refused. "They made us strip down to our underwear in the cold, " said a patient named Abdulrahman Rayan. Patients who asked to be transferred to the Indonesian Hospital were reportedly not allowed. Medical staff reported a large fire breaking out in the hospital after Israeli strikes. Water from a kidney dialysis machine mixed with chlorine was used to fight the fire, causing burns on people's hands and faces. One patient died in the fire. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated they were targeting "terrorist infrastructure and operatives" but provided no proof. They claim they helped evacuate patients and staff but did not comment on the allegations of forced stripping. Places like Kamal Adwan Hospital are crucial in times of crisis. The UN has previously accused Israel of denying humanitarian access. This raid raises questions about who is responsible for protecting hospitals and patients in conflict zones.