Israeli troops forced the evacuation of an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza and many patients, some of them on foot, reached another hospital a mile away in Gaza City, the region's health ministry said on Tuesday.
The Indonesian Hospital is one of the few hospitals in the Gaza Strip that is still partially functioning, on its northern edge, an area that has been under heavy pressure from the Israeli military for almost three months.
Israel says its operation around the three communities in northern Gaza surrounding the hospital – Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia – is targeting Hamas militants.
Palestinians accuse Israel of trying to permanently annihilate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.
Munir Al-Bursh, director of the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, said the Israeli army had ordered officials to evacuate the hospital on Monday, before storming it in the early hours of Tuesday. and forcing 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.
“Occupation forces have taken the three hospitals out of medical service due to several attacks that have destroyed them and destroyed parts of them,” Bursh said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the report.
Hospital officials refuse to evacuate, leave patients
Officials at the three hospitals have so far refused Israeli orders to evacuate their facilities or leave patients unattended since the new military offensive began on October 5.
Israel says that they have been facilitating the delivery of medical supplies, fuel and the transfer of patients to other hospitals in the enclave during that time in collaboration with international organizations such as the World Health Organization.
Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said that they defied a new order by the army to evacuate hundreds of patients, their companions and staff, adding that the hospital has been under fire Israeli constant that damaged generators, oxygen pumps and parts of the building.
Israeli forces have been operating near the hospital since Monday, medics said.
Meanwhile, Israeli bombardment continued elsewhere in the enclave and medics said at least nine Palestinians, including a member of the civilian emergency service, were killed in four military strikes between different across the ocean on Tuesday.
The war in Gaza was triggered by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli figures.
Israel's campaign against Hamas has since killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Most of the population of 2.3 million have disappeared and much of Gaza is in ruins.
Talks to establish a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities agreement between Israel and Hamas have resumed in Cairo, and sources close to the negotiations say an agreement could be signed in the coming days. Palestinians in southern Gaza say they hope the war will end in this round of talks so that life can start again.
A new offer by mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages has moved forward this month, although it has not been reported no progress yet.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that progress had been made in talks with Hamas, but he did not know how long it would take to see results.
Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible ceasefire in Gaza has narrowedaccording to comments by Israeli and Palestinian officials on Monday, although crucial differences remain to be resolved.
