GAZA: Medical experts have declared Israel’s order to evacuate Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip, impossible.
The head of the hospital, Dr. Hossam Abu Safia, told a foreign news agency that it is not possible to move hundreds of patients, newborns and staff to safe places under the current circumstances.
Dr. Abu Safia said that there are about 400 people in the hospital, including newborns dependent on incubators and oxygen. The ambulances, equipment and time needed to evacuate them are not available.
He added that we are sending this message amid heavy bombardment. If fuel tanks near the hospital are targeted, there could be a massive explosion and loss of life.
The Israeli army did not comment on Dr. Abu Safia’s statement. However, the hospital was supplied with fuel and food on Friday, and more than 100 patients and staff were helped to be transferred to other hospitals, according to a military statement.
Kamal Adwan Hospital is one of the few hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip that is still partially functioning. The area has been under heavy Israeli bombardment and military operations for nearly three months, leaving medical facilities almost completely destroyed.
Medical experts and human rights groups have called for urgent attention to the crisis. They say that evacuating hospitals in the war-torn region could worsen the humanitarian crisis and that urgent international intervention is needed.
