The Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last major health institution in North Gaza, was rendered inoperable after a raid yesterday, dealing another devastating blow to the region's failing healthcare sector. The World Health Organisation (WHO) criticised the attack, emphasising its catastrophic repercussions for the 75,000 Palestinians who remain in the besieged enclave after more than 80 days of limited access. 

A WHO spokeswoman expressed severe concern: "The methodical demolition of the health system, along with the continued siege, has put the population of North Gaza at risk. International humanitarian law requires that hospitals always be off-limits.

Initial reports show that Kamal Adwan Hospital has suffered considerable damage, including the destruction of vital infrastructure such as the laboratory, surgical unit, operating theatre, and medicinal storage facilities. It appears that the raid set several portions of the facility on fire. The raid prompted 12 patients and a female health worker to relocate to the already-devastated Indonesian Hospital, which lacks critical resources to offer care. 

In the meantime, authorities relocated the remaining hospital staff, patients, and carers to temporary shelters, forcing some of them to strip off and journey to southern Gaza. The raid detained the hospital's director, and the WHO reported losing contact since the operation started.The situation surrounding Kamal Adwan Hospital has been tumultuous for months. Since October 2024, the WHO has recorded at least 50 attacks on or near the hospital. Just this week, bombings murdered 50 people in the area, including five Kamal Adwan health workers. The Indonesian Hospital received the final 15 critical patients, 50 carers, and 20 health professionals yesterday evening. However, the hospital's shortage of equipment and resources poses a serious threat to these patients' survival. 

The closures of Kamal Adwan and the Indonesian Hospital reflect the near-complete breakdown of healthcare services in North Gaza. Al-Awda Hospital, the only remaining facility in the area, is barely operational due to significant damage from recent attacks. The recent attacks have severely hampered WHO's efforts to maintain operations in these hospitals. Over the last two months, just ten of twenty-one WHO missions to Kamal Adwan have been partially facilitated, supplying crucial resources like gasoline, medicine, and food. However, foreign emergency medical teams were consistently denied admission. 

"The movement and treatment of critically ill patients under such conditions pose grave risks to their survival," said the World Health Organisation (WHO). 

WHO intends to deploy an immediate mission to the Indonesian Hospital to arrange for the safe evacuation of patients to southern Gaza, where they can get ongoing care. Despite repeated requests to safeguard healthcare personnel and facilities under international humanitarian law, attacks on hospitals continue, transforming them into battlegrounds and denying thousands of civilians access to medical care. 

The World Health Organisation reiterated the need to actively defend hospitals, health professionals, and patients, and to never target or use them for war objectives. We must always adhere to the absolute principles of precaution, distinction, and proportionality under International Humanitarian Law. 

The situation in North Gaza is severe, with tens of thousands of people's access to healthcare on the verge of collapse. WHO and its partners urge rapid action to ensure the safety and functionality of health facilities, as well as to protect the lives of healthcare personnel and civilians.