Palestinian Health Ministry slams Israeli army for moving patients to destroyed Indonesian Hospital

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza warned on Saturday about dire conditions faced by patients forcibly evacuated under Israeli military orders from Kamal Adwan Hospital to the Indonesian Hospital, which had already suffered severe damage from earlier Israeli airstrikes.

In a statement, the ministry said: “A harrowing night has passed for the forcibly evacuated patients, who are now in critical conditions at the Indonesian Hospital without access to water, electricity, food, or medical supplies.”

The ministry emphasized that “the countdown to losing their lives has begun, as most of the Kamal Adwan medical staff have been detained by Israeli forces.”

It noted that the Israeli army had destroyed the Indonesian Hospital's infrastructure before forcing the transfer of patients there.

The Health Ministry called on international organizations to intervene urgently to address the patients’ critical needs.

On Friday, Israeli forces removed patients and medical staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital at gunpoint and transferred them to the damaged Indonesian Hospital.

The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital resulted in the loss of the last fully functioning medical facility in northern Gaza.

Israel’s offensive has killed nearly 45,500 people in Gaza since a cross-border Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, reducing the enclave to rubble.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi