Gaza, January 3, 2025: Israeli drones reportedly set fire to homes surrounding Al-Awda Hospital in Tel Al-Zaatar, in the northern Gaza Strip, according to Quds News Network.
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli occupation forces also set fire to several shelters and homes near the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza and bulldozed the hospital’s wall. Fires broke out around the Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals due to ongoing shelling and actions by occupation forces.
Reports indicate that 23 people, including patients and medical staff trapped inside the Indonesian Hospital, are facing the risk of starvation due to a lack of food and water.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday that Israel’s deliberate destruction of healthcare facilities in Gaza constitutes a form of collective punishment and amounts to a war crime.
In its report, the UN body highlighted that Israel’s pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza, combined with ongoing combat, has pushed the healthcare system to the brink of collapse, severely affecting Palestinians’ access to medical care.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that the continuous bombardment and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza have turned hospitals—places meant to offer safety—into potential death traps. He emphasized, “The protection of hospitals during warfare is paramount and must be respected by all sides at all times.”
