Patients Trapped In Northern Gaza Hospitals As IDF Operations Continue

Patients are “trapped” inside the last three operable hospitals in northern Gaza while Israeli forces continue to besiege the area, according to medical professionals and foreign humanitarian agencies.

According to Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders (MSF), around 350 patients were “trapped” within Al-Awda Hospital, Indonesian Hospital, and Kamal Adwan Hospital as of Saturday, including pregnant women and people who had recently undergone surgical procedures.

On October 6, the Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza, with spokesman Avichay Adraee posting on X: “I remind you that the northern Gaza Strip area is still considered a dangerous combat zone.”

The IDF ordered evacuations of numerous areas in the northern Gaza Strip last week, including Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahia, as it searches for Hamas fighters believed to be in the region.

It is estimated that 200,000 to 400,000 people dwell in the north, which is presently a military zone.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Netanyahu Warns ‘Iran Proxy’ Hezbollah After Assassination Attempt At Him And Wife At Home

The hospitals are located near locations where evacuation orders have been issued, albeit the IDF will not acknowledge this. Israel claims Hamas militants are exploiting civilians as shields and hospitals as cover for their operations.

“While the northern part of the Strip has been under siege for over two weeks, it is absolutely crucial to ensure the protection of the few remaining functional health care facilities,” Anna Halford, emergency coordinator in Gaza for MSF, said Sunday in a statement.

“People must be able to continue to access medical care and lifesaving treatments. We call on the Israeli forces to immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in north Gaza.”

In a statement posted Monday morning on X, the IDF spokesperson for the Arab media stated that Israeli officials are continuing “to communicate with the international community and the health establishment to maintain the operation of emergency systems in hospitals by transferring medical equipment and a fuel stockpile based on the operational situation.”

The representative also stated that officials are working to remove patients, their companions, and medical staff from hospitals. The IDF did not immediately answer to ABC News’ request for comment on the patients being trapped.

Staff at Indonesian Hospital said they are without power and have been unable to provide good patient care.

“The water supply has been cut off for patients and staff at the Indonesian Hospital,” Hadeel Obeid, chief nurse at the hospital, said in a message to ABC News on Monday.

“They need permission from the [IDF] to operate the electric generator, and there is no food due to the ongoing siege for the fourth consecutive day.”

“We urge all international organizations to take the necessary action to save these wounded individuals and the staff working inside the hospital to support their resilience and steadfastness,” Obeid added.

Medical workers at Kamal Adwan Hospital reported that there is insufficient food to adequately feed families, nor are there safe places to remain.

“There is no milk for children, and mothers [instead] have to mix starch and flour with water and sugar,” Dr. Eid Al Sabah, director of nursing at the hospital, said.

“We stay in houses that have previously been bombed. We use tent cloth and wood from furniture [for fires] due to wood and fuel cuts.”

According to a post on X on Monday, the IDF permitted hundreds of residents to safely depart the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip via an organized path while arresting dozens of suspects.

UNRWA issued a grim warning regarding attacks on hospitals and overcrowded circumstances in northern Gaza.

According to a Monday post on X, people in ICUs have died as a result of power outages, and Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals are running at half capacity due to a lack of medical supplies and staff.

“The Israeli authorities continue to deny humanitarian missions to reach the north with critical supplies, including medicine and food for people under siege,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner-general, said Monday in a post on X.

“Hospitals have been hit and are left without power while injured people are left without care.”

He continued, “Denying & weaponizing humanitarian assistance to achieve military purposes is a sign of how low the moral compass is.

“Assistance must reach everyone in need in Gaza: civilians, including children and the hostages. No one should beg to assist or to be assisted. A cease-fire is the beginning to putting an end to this endless nightmare.”

Catch up with the latest news from SurgeZirc on WhatsApp by following our channel. Click here to join.

Kindly follow @surgezirc on Instagram. On X (Twitter), follow @surgezircnews.