Shelling and direct fire were reported on Friday in and around Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Palestinian territory. The Israeli army denies this.
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The hospital is the only one still functioning in the north of the territory.Keystone
In the middle of the afternoon, the Civil Defense spokesperson reported“at least 29” dead and “several dozen injured” in the northern Gaza Strip since dawn. “Incessant Israeli bombardments, particularly around the Kamal Adwan hospital, and drone fire (…) targeted the hospital” itself.
An Israeli military spokesperson issued a strong denial. The army “did not strike the establishment or carry out any operations inside it,” the spokesperson said, adding that Israeli forces continued their operations “against terrorists in the Jabalia region (north) , including near Kamal Adwan Hospital.
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Several witnesses also described intense shelling in the area.
“Panic”
For two months, Israel has concentrated its military operations in the north of the Gaza Strip. The spokesperson for the Israeli government, David Mencer, spoke Thursday during a press briefing of ongoing operations in several areas where “Hamas and Islamic Jihad (another Palestinian armed group) are trying to regroup.”
The army also ensures that it is in “continuous contact” with the Kamal Adwan hospital in order to enable the delivery of “supplies, food and medical equipment”.
Friday, The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the situation as “extremely worrying”. in this care center, one of the few still partially operational in the north of the Palestinian territory devastated by fourteen months of war.
The WHO representative in the Palestinian Territories spoke of “intense bombings around the hospital”.
Around 4 a.m., Israeli soldiers were seen outside, he said. According to him, rumors spread “that everyone had to get out, which caused a panic, and what we understand is that people started to climb the wall to escape (… ) and this panic led to army fire.”
Targeted repeatedly
“Deaths were reported, as well as detentions, arrests,” he added, but “there was no official evacuation order.”
In the morning, the spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense spoke of “a certain number of arrests and the presence of armored vehicles near the hospital.
The WHO reported several attacks this week on the building, saying it had been the target of drone fire eight times on Thursday, and that the hospital’s oxygen, compressed air and water networks had been damaged. (ats/vz)
More information on the situation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza
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