The Israeli military on Saturday (Dec 28) said that it had detained the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, Hossam Abu Safiyeh, on suspicion of "being a Hamas terrorist operative" during a raid that the World Health Organization (WHO) said emptied northern Gaza's last major health facility. 

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The military said that Abu Safiyeh was being held for questioning and stated that its raid operation targeted a Hamas command centre at the Gaza hospital.

This comes just days after Abu Safiyeh had accused Israel of targeting the hospital "with the intent to kill and forcibly displace the people inside".

Also read | Hospital or Hamas lair? WHO says Israeli raid put Gaza's last major hospital 'out of service'

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Gaza's last hospital out of service  

According to WHO, the raid left critical health services in shambles. 

"Kamal Adwan is now empty," it said, adding that it was "appalled" by the raid.

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"The systematic dismantling of the health system and a siege for over 80 days on north Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk."

Previously on Friday (Dec 27) the UN agency on X said, "Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid".

"The systematic dismantling of the health system and a siege for over 80 days on north Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk," the agency said. The remaining patients — including 15 critical ones — and staff were transferred to the Indonesian Hospital, which WHO described as "destroyed and non-functional."  

Details of the raid

The Israeli military said its operation at the hospital led to the detention of over 240 individuals, including what it described as "Hamas engineering and anti-tank missile operatives." 

Officials also claimed that 15 of those detained were "terrorists who infiltrated Israel during the October 7th massacre" in 2023.

Before the raid, the military said it had evacuated 350 patients, staff, and displaced individuals from the hospital. However, witnesses reported alleged mistreatment, including being forced to strip during evacuations. 

News agency AFP, citing one of the Gazans evacuated from the hospital, reports that some of them were asked to strip.

Also read | WHO chief Tedros narrowly escaped Israeli attack on Yemen airport

The Gaza resident identified only as Mohammad told the news agency, "As we began to exit, the army asked all young men to take off their clothes and walk outside the hospital."

Israel meanwhile has defended its actions, with Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani claiming that this was "not a form of humiliation" but was done, so troops can ensure "no one is booby-trapped or is carrying explosives or gun on them".

Hamas meanwhile has denied allegations that its operatives were present in the hospital and accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting the facility. In a statement on Friday, the group said, "The enemy's lies about the hospital aim to justify the heinous crime committed by the occupation army today, involving the evacuation and burning of all hospital departments as part of a plan for extermination and forced displacement." 

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq and non-state actors like Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.