South Gaza hospital closed after forcible evacuation, paramedics say
- Published
Delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited al-Amal hospital last week
The Palestine Red Crescent Society says al-Amal hospital in southern Gaza is out of service after Israeli troops forced medics and patients to evacuate.
On Monday, 27 staff, six patients, another person and the bodies of two people recently shot and killed were moved from the facility in Khan Younis.
They were trapped in ambulances for 20 hours, according to the PRCS.
Israel's military says its intelligence indicates that "terrorists are using civilian infrastructure" in the area.
Israeli troops reportedly surrounded both al-Amal and the nearby Nasser hospital over the weekend, amid intense hostilities in the west of Khan Younis.
Meanwhile, fighting is continuing around al-Shifa hospital, in northern Gaza, where the military says it has killed 175 "terrorists" and detained about 500 suspects linked to Hamas or Islamic Jihad in a raid that began eight days ago.
The military says hospitals have been used by Hamas as bases and has released videos and photos to support its claim. Hamas denies the accusation.
The PRCS, which runs al-Amal hospital, said in a statement on Sunday that Israeli troops had been firing smoke bombs around the facility, external to try to force staff, patients and displaced people to leave, while bulldozing surrounding streets and erecting barriers.
It also said a staff member named Amir Abu Aisha had been killed by Israeli gunfire, and that a displaced person had been wounded in the head. The second man later died of his wounds.
In the afternoon, the medical organisation announced that all displaced people and patients who could move independently had been evacuated and were heading towards the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis.
"We woke up at 02:30 [on Sunday]. There was constant gunfire within the surroundings of the hospital. Our co-worker Amir was martyred while he was at the human resources [office]. He was hit in the chest by a bullet and died immediately," Samy al-Omry, one of the paramedics at al-Amal, told BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline radio service while he walked to al-Mawasi on Monday.
"After that, we were surprised by [Israeli vehicles] entering the hospital, seizing it and closing the gates with mountains of sand. Drones with loudspeakers kept saying: 'Evacuate the hospital now'," he added.
"Every time we tried to leave [Israeli forces] would fire on us, until they sent a message with a child who had gone out earlier, telling us to go out where they had made a pathway."
The Israeli military said it had "facilitated the exit" of hundreds of people from the al-Amal area of Khan Younis
On Monday, the PRCS reported that the remaining staff and wounded had spent 20 hours trapped inside ambulances after being forcibly evacuated overnight, external.
"While attempting to leave through the military checkpoint, the teams encountered difficulty moving due to extensive excavation and infrastructure destruction," it said.
"During the attempt to clear the rubble and obstacles on the road, the [Israeli] forces opened fire towards two of the teams trying to remove the rubble, directly injuring them.
"Efforts were made to evacuate them, and the teams managed to rescue one of them, while they were unable to deal with the second case due to uncertainty about his fate."
Later, the ambulances were forced by Israeli troops to return to al-Amal, "where they found the hospital gate closed, making it impossible for the teams to re-enter", it added.
The UN said the PRCS staff and wounded patients had reportedly arrived in the southern town of Rafah on Monday afternoon.
On Monday night, the PRCS expressed its "profound regret for the closure of al-Amal hospital", saying it came after "the international community failed to provide the necessary protection for its teams, patients, and [displaced people]".
"The hospital was besieged for over 40 days and was repeatedly bombed before the occupation forces reinstated the siege and forced everyone inside to leave," it added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday morning that its troops were "eliminating terrorists and carrying out targeted raids on terrorist infrastructure" in the al-Amal area, where the hospital is located, and in nearby al-Qarara.
"During the activity, the troops located explosive devices, grenades, weapons, vests, and a large amount of ammunition," it added.
On Monday, the IDF said more than 20 fighters had been killed there in close-quarters combat and air strikes.
When asked about the reports of the hospital's evacuation on Monday, the IDF said it called on Hamas to "cease using hospitals and additional civilian infrastructure as shields for their terrorist activities which harm innocent civilians".
"The IDF will continue to operate in accordance with international law and take measures to uphold the safety and well-being of civilians."
Israeli forces raided al-Amal hospital in February. The IDF said about 20 suspects, including Hamas members, were detained before they withdrew.
The situation was unclear at the nearby Nasser hospital, which was also raided last month. However, witnesses told AFP news agency that dozens of Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles were surrounding the complex on Tuesday.
The IDF also said on Tuesday that troops were "continuing to conduct precise operational activity in the al-Shifa hospital area, while preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment".
"Over the past day, the troops located weapons, and engaged with and eliminated several terrorists in the hospital area," it added.
On Sunday night, Médecins Sans Frontières quoted its staff as saying heavy air strikes and fierce fighting were continuing around al-Shifa, which it warned were endangering patients and medics trapped inside with very few supplies.
"Access to the facility has been impossible for days, and the surgical department is reportedly heavily damaged, leaving patients without care," the charity added.
"Our staff in the area also say there are mass arrests of medical staff and other people in and around the hospital."
The IDF meanwhile said that Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were "barricading themselves" inside, "firing from inside the Shifa emergency room and maternity ward and throwing explosive devices from the Shifa burn ward".
Israeli troops first raided al-Shifa in November. After an extensive search, they blew up a large tunnel with rooms which ran under the site before pulling out.
More than 32,400 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, including 81 people in the past 24 hours, according to the territory's health ministry.
The conflict began after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 253 others as hostages.
- Published12 March
