Israeli drone strike injures 3 medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza

By Mohammed Abudoun

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Three staff members at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza were injured Tuesday in an Israeli drone strike targeting its courtyard, according to medical sources.

A medical professional at the hospital told Anadolu that Israeli forces used quadcopter drones to bomb the hospital courtyard, leaving one of the staff members in critical condition and requiring immediate intensive care.

Health care infrastructure in the enclave has reached a catastrophic state due to repeated Israeli airstrikes and incursions. Many hospitals have been forced out of service, with medical personnel, ambulances and critical supplies heavily targeted.

The blockade and closure of crossings have further prevented patients from seeking treatment abroad, exacerbating the crisis.

In a related development, Israeli forces intensified their operations in northern Gaza, targeting displacement shelters and rigging residential homes with explosives, eyewitnesses said.

In Beit Lahia, Israeli airstrikes hit areas near Abu Tammam schools housing displaced families fleeing earlier attacks.

Witnesses also reported artillery fire and gunfire in the vicinity of the schools, though no casualties had been confirmed.

Repeated strikes on displacement centers primarily hosting women and children have been described as deliberate by Gaza’s Government Media Office. The attacks aim to maximize civilian casualties amid an escalating humanitarian crisis.

Witnesses revealed that Israeli forces planted explosive barrels in residential neighborhoods in the Beit Lahia Project area, preparing homes for demolition. Helicopters and drones also targeted civilian homes with gunfire.

As Israel’s military campaign persists in northern Gaza, thousands of Palestinians face repeated displacement. With entire neighborhoods ordered to evacuate, families are forced to seek shelter in overcrowded schools, makeshift camps or public spaces under dire conditions.

Since Oct. 5, Israel has launched a large-scale ground operation in northern Gaza to allegedly prevent the Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping.

Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Since then, no humanitarian aid, including food, medicine and fuel, has been allowed into the area, leaving most of the population there – currently estimated at 80,000 – on the verge of famine.

Since launching a genocidal war against Gaza following an attack by Hamas in October 2023, Israel has killed more than 44,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 105,000, according to official figures.

The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn widespread international condemnation which notes that starvation tactics and blocking humanitarian aid deliveries amount to deliberate attempts to destroy an entire population.

Last month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its actions in Gaza, which have drawn mounting international condemnation.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio