Israel’s military said it had detained over 240 Hamas operatives in a raid Saturday on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. The operation, aimed at what the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) described as a Hamas command center, also led to the detention of the hospital’s director, Hossam Abu Safiyeh, who is suspected of being a Hamas operative.
The military statement insisted upon the magnitude of the operation, one wherein both the IDF and the Israeli security agency, the ISA, were involved. The forces apprehended over 240 terrorists in the area, it said, thus confirming that Abu Safyeh would be questioned regarding his supposed liaison with Hamas.
The raid escalates the war that has taken a toll in Gaza and severely affected health infrastructure. The World Health Organization has reported that because of the attack, the Kamal Adwan Hospital has become inoperable, with northern Gaza now losing its last major hospital. The WHO urged both sides to stop the hostilities and called for safety measures around healthcare facilities to be in place.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said that patients who were displaced from the destroyed hospital were relocated to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which has also been raided in the past. Conditions at the new site are reportedly “extremely difficult.
The conflict, which has lasted almost 15 months, has taken over 45,400 Palestinian lives, including over 22,000 women and children, and has injured more than 108,000. Though it does not make a difference between civilians and combatants, the toll of this war on Gaza has been devastating.
Since Israel’s offensive began in October, large parts of northern Gaza, including key areas such as Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya, have been leveled. Israel’s stated goal remains the complete dismantling of Hamas, following the group’s October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and led to the abduction of approximately 250 Israelis.
