Kamal Adwan Hospital attack, Israeli army crimes: field executions, sexual harassment
The bodies of victims in the courtyard of Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahya, northern Gaza, following an Israeli strike on 6 December 2024
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports on 28 December 2024:
Harrowing testimonies documenting serious crimes committed by the Israeli army against civilians during its storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding areas in northern Gaza were collected by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
These crimes included deliberate killings, field executions, as well as sexual and physical assaults on women and girls from medical teams and displaced women in the area.
The units of Israeli infantry and armoured forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital and its vicinity on Friday, following weeks of siege, artillery and air bombardment, and targeted attacks on medical and technical staff working in the hospital. The attacks also disabled the hospital’s operational capacities by targeting power generators and oxygen production equipment.
According to testimonies collected by Euro-Med Monitor’s field team, Israeli forces committed a series of horrific crimes during their assault on the hospital. These included detonating booby-trapped robots near several inhabited homes, causing their collapse and killing civilians inside. The crimes also involved Israeli soldiers executing civilians on the spot, some of whom were wounded, while others carried white flags.
The Israeli army detained dozens of women and girls, subjecting them to severe abuse amounting to sexual harassment, alongside degrading treatment that violated their human dignity. This included beating them and forcing them to remove their hijabs and clothing.
Additionally, Israeli forces forcibly evacuated everyone in the area, compelling them to flee outside the northern Gaza governorate. During this operation, the army abducted dozens of individuals, including members of medical and service teams, such as Dr. Hossam Abu Safyieh, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and journalist Islam Ahmed.
A soldier forced a nurse to take off her trousers, then placed his hand on her. When she tried to resist, he struck her hard across the face
A woman expelled from the area by the Israeli army
“A.A.,” 41, recounted to the Euro-Med Monitor team: “I am a volunteer paramedic. I was staying in a house near Kamal Adwan Hospital with 11 civilians. Around 12:30 a.m. on Friday, we heard a vehicle at the door. I told those with me it seemed like the army was placing explosive robots. Looking out the window, I saw several robots in front of homes in the area.”
He added, “We left our house and moved to another nearby, hoping to survive the explosions. About half an hour later, the robots started detonating. The sounds were massive and terrifying, like miniature nuclear bombs.”
He continued: “During this time, a young man who had reached another house in the area told us that the place they sought refuge in was bombed, injuring several people. I rushed with others to help, but as we approached the house, an Israeli aircraft fired another missile at it. We managed to evacuate one of the injured and found one dead. However, we were also injured in the process. At that moment, we heard screams from a nearby house that had been hit as well. We were in a dire state, injured and unable to help.”