Last Sunday, the IDF ordered the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, to close the only hospital operating in the area.

The hospital's director, Husam Abu Safiya, refused the order, explaining that it was "next to impossible." He further conveyed his concerns to Reuters, stating that obeying the order to shut down was "next to impossible" due to a lack of ambulances to transport 350 patients and their relatives.

Israeli Attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital

Today, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last remaining medical facility in northern Gaza. The attack resulted in the destruction of large sections of the hospital, and staff and patients were ordered to evacuate.

This hospital, one of the few still functioning in a besieged area, was struck by heavy Israeli fire without any prior warning. Tragically, five members of the medical staff were killed, and 50 others were murdered in an Israeli strike on a nearby building.

Additionally, 75 patients who were forced from the hospital have been taken to unknown locations, with their whereabouts still unknown.

The Associated Press reported that the IDF set fire to the hospital and "forced medical personnel and patients to assemble in the hospital yard and remove their clothes amid the winter temperatures."

Online videos have shown Palestinian men being marched through the ruins of northern Gaza, stripped down to their underwear. The hospital director has reportedly been arrested for refusing to abandon the patients and leave them without medical care.

As of this writing, Munir al-Bursh, the director of Gaza's Health Ministry, reported, “The IOF soldiers are inside the hospital now and they are burning it.”

International Silence and Frustration

Palestinians are feeling helpless and frustrated, not only with the ongoing violence but with the international community's failure to intervene. There has been no protest from US officials, the American Medical Association (AMA), Congress, US mainstream media, the World Health Organization (WHO), or the United Nations (UN).

The silence and inaction by international bodies are widely seen as complicity in the genocide occurring in Gaza.

Never before in modern times has an army from a supposedly "democratic" state systematically attempted to destroy hospitals that provide vital healthcare to civilians.

However, when viewed through the lens of a genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza, this ruthless action seems to be a logical consequence of the Israeli government's strategy.

What disgusts many is the lack of forceful action from Western governments and international institutions. The silence and passivity seem to suggest a degree of implication in the ongoing atrocities.

Meanwhile, Western nations continue to supply arms to Israel and shield it from accountability. These same countries feel justified in filing criminal charges and accusations of "terrorism" against those who rightfully protest against the genocide and forced starvation being carried out in Gaza.

A Call for Accountability

"We hold the world responsible for what is happening and demand accountability for our suffering," said Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital. "It is unacceptable that no one intervenes while we are under attack and the world remains silent."

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelancer for Islamicity.com and ColumbusFreepress.com. He can be reached at [email protected].