Last major medical facility in northern Gaza shuts down

“Initial reports indicate that several critical departments were severely damaged and burned during the attack,” the WHO said in a statement on social media X. Sixty health workers and 25 critically ill patients, including those on ventilators, remain in the hospital, according to the WHO.

Patients in moderate to severe condition were forced to be evacuated to the Indonesian Hospital, which was also destroyed and out of service. The WHO expressed “grave concerns for patient safety”.

WHO reiterated its call for a ceasefire, stressing: "Such hostilities and raids are undermining all our efforts and support to maintain the minimum functioning of this facility. The destruction of the health system in Gaza is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of health care."

On the same day, the Israeli military (IDF) accused the hospital of becoming "an important stronghold" of Hamas. The IDF also added that before starting the latest operation near the hospital, it had "facilitated the safe evacuation of civilians, patients and medical staff".

However, Hamas denied that its forces were present at the hospital. Hamas called on the United Nations to set up a commission of inquiry "to examine the scale of the crimes taking place in northern Gaza".

According to the Gaza Health Department, as of the morning of December 27, the hospital had about 350 people, including 75 injured and sick patients, along with 180 medical staff.