Israeli army detains medical staff, patients at northern Gaza hospital

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Gaza Health Ministry announced on Saturday that the Israeli army has detained medical staff, as well as injured patients, at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which was stormed by Israeli forces on Friday amid an ongoing 22-day offensive.

In a statement, the ministry said: "The Israeli occupation forces have detained all male medical personnel, in addition to injured individuals and patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital."

"Israeli occupation forces are holding women in one of the hospital's rooms without food or water," it added.

The ministry has called on international and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene to protect the patients and medical staff working at the hospital.

On Friday, the Gaza government's media office announced that communication with medical teams inside the hospital had been disrupted following the Israeli army's incursion.

The World Health Organization also stated it had lost contact with the hospital, where hundreds of patients, injured individuals, displaced persons, and medical staff were reportedly detained by Israeli forces.

Over the course of its over one-year offensive on Gaza, the Israeli army has frequently targeted hospitals, houses of worship, and schools – civilian facilities that are off limits under the rules of war

Israeli army ground incursions and bombardments continue across northern Gaza, as the forces push for forced displacement of Palestinians.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by Palestinian resistance group Hamas,.

Nearly 43,000 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 100,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi