Live blog: Gaza calls for medical services as Israeli army burns hospital

Friday, December 27, 2024

1900 GMT — The Palestinian Health Ministry in besieged Gaza appealed to the international community to provide alternative medical services for civilians after an Israeli raid on a main hospital in the north of the enclave.

The Israeli army raided Kamal Adwan Hospital, burning large sections and forcing patients and displaced civilians to flee.

"The hospital has been under attack since dawn, forcing around 350 health workers, patients, and civilians to evacuate at gunpoint,” Maher Shamiyeh, assistant undersecretary for Gaza's Health Ministry, told a press conference.

"The Israeli army set fire to the hospital buildings, including the engineering and maintenance building, the central laboratory, and the hospital stores," he added.

Shamiyeh urged the international community to intervene "to save what is left of Gaza’s health system and to provide alternative medical services for civilians in northern Gaza."

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1920 GMT — Jordan, UAE condemn burning of Gaza hospital by Israeli army

Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have strongly condemned an Israeli raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.

The Israeli army raided the hospital, burning large sections and forcing patients and displaced civilians to flee.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry called the Israeli raid "a heinous war crime" that is added to Israel's ongoing crimes in Gaza and "a blatant violation of international law and humanitarian law."

1844 GMT — Israeli army claims rocket fired from northern Gaza

The Israeli army claimed it detected the firing of a rocket from northern Gaza which is under a devastating Israeli onslaught.

The Israeli army said the rocket landed in an open area in the Nir Am settlement, adjacent to Gaza, without causing injuries or major damage.

According to the Times of Israel news website, the incident triggered the activation of sirens in Nir Am area.

1840 GMT — UN 'alarmed' by ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza

A UN official voiced concern over the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza.

"We are alarmed by ongoing attacks across the Strip that have left scores of Palestinians dead," spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told reporters.

1822 GMT — Lebanon counts 8 more Israeli violations of ceasefire

The Israeli army committed eight additional violations of a ceasefire with Lebanon on Friday, bringing the total breaches since last month to 319, according to an Anadolu Agency tally.

Israeli artillery shelled twice the town of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon on Friday, the Lebanese state news agency NNA said, without providing details about injuries.

Israeli forces also blew up several homes in the towns of Yaroun and Naqoura, while warplanes carried out air strikes targeting three sites in the forests of Qousaya in eastern Lebanon.

1522 GMT — France condemns storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by Israeli minister

France condemned a raid carried out by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

"France condemns the visit yesterday of the Israeli Minister of National Security, Mr. Ben Gvir, to the Esplanade of the Mosques," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, referring to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem.

It added that such actions violated “the historical status quo of the Holy Places in Jerusalem.”

1455 GMT — Israel attacks facilities at Janta crossing on Syrian-Lebanese border

Israel confirmed air strikes on facilities at the Janta crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border, claiming they were used to transfer weaponry to Hezbollah.

In a statement, the Israeli army said that its air forces “carried out air strikes on infrastructure at the Janta crossing on the Syrian-Lebanese border which had been used to transfer weaponry from Syria to Hezbollah."

The Janta crossing is located on the Lebanese side of the border.

Israel claimed that "Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 is responsible for smuggling weapons from Iran and its proxies to Lebanon."

1430 GMT — Israelis protest in Jerusalem, call for end to Gaza genocide

Dozens of left-wing Israelis protested in West Jerusalem, demanding an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The protesters held signs reading: "Stop the genocide; Stop ethnic cleansing; Stop the war now, and Stop the massacre," according to and Anadolu Agency reporter.

Israeli police forces were stationed around the protest, and officers attempted to disperse the crowd by confiscating the signs, leading to a scuffle between the police and protesters.

The Israeli left-wing group "Free Jerusalem," which opposes the Israeli occupation, reported that police arrested three protesters.

1400 GMT — Palestine slams Israel for torching north Gaza hospital

The Palestinian presidency condemned Israel's "grave crime" of setting fire to sections of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza.

According to Wafa news agency, the presidency said in a statement that the hospital provides services to more than 400,000 residents.

It said that the Israeli army’s act is a “serious and flagrant violation of international law, treaties, and conventions that protect the medical sector and health care workers during times of war.”

Separately, the Palestinian Health Ministry also condemned Israel's ongoing assault on Gaza.

1338 GMT — 11 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza City

At least 11 Palestinians were killed and several others injured as Israeli air strikes targeted two homes and civilians in Gaza City amid ongoing artillery shelling across the besieged territory.

A medical source told Anadolu that four of the Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in the Shujaiya neighbourhood.

Another three were killed in an Israeli air strike on a home belonging to the Harara family in the Sabra neighbourhood, said another source at the Baptist Hospital.

1322 GMT — British journalist union condemns killing of 5 journalists in Gaza air strike

The British National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has strongly condemned the killing of five journalists in central Gaza, describing it as an "outrageous attack" and a clear violation of international law.

The journalists, who worked for the satellite channel Al-Quds, were reportedly sleeping in a clearly marked broadcasting van when it was hit by an Israeli air strike near al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Photographs widely shared on social media show the van engulfed in flames.

"This is an outrageous attack and a clear breach of international law," said Laura Davison, general secretary of the NUJ.

1215 GMT — Israeli forces raid north Gaza hospital

Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of only three medical facilities on the northern edge of Gaza ordering dozens of patients and hundreds of others to evacuate the compound, officials said.

In separate incidents across Gaza, Israeli strikes killed at least 25 people, medics said. One of those strikes on a house in Gaza City killed 15 people, medics and the civil emergency service said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said contact with staff inside the facility, which has been under heavy pressure from Israeli forces for weeks, had been lost.

"The occupation forces are inside the hospital now and they are burning it," Munir Al-Bursh, director of the health ministry besieged Gaza, said in a statement.

1214 GMT — 18 Israelis injured while rushing to shelters following Yemen missile launch

At least 18 Israelis were injured while rushing to shelters in Tel Aviv, following a missile launch from Yemen which the Israeli army claimed to have intercepted.

According to the army, the missile was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace, with alarm sirens sounding across central areas of the country, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

Emergency services reported no direct injuries or material damage from the missile but confirmed that 18 individuals were hurt during the rush to shelters.

Following the missile launch, several flights from Europe to Ben Gurion International Airport were delayed with landing operations resuming approximately 30 minutes later.

1200 GMT — Gaza death toll tops 45,400 as Israel kills 37 more Palestinians

At least 37 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 45,436, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 108,038 others were injured in the ongoing assault.

"Israeli forces killed 37 people and injured 98 others in three massacres of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

1114 GMT — Houthis claim new attacks on Israel after strikes hit Yemen airport

Yemen's Houthis claimed new attacks against Israel after Israeli air strikes hit Sanaa's international airport and other targets in Yemen.

The Israeli strikes on Thursday landed as the head of the UN's World Health Organization said he and his team were preparing to fly out from Yemen's capital, injuring a UN crew member.

Hours later on Friday, the Houthis said they fired a missile at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv and launched drones at the city as well as a ship in the Arabian Sea.

0900 GMT — WHO crew member suffered serious injury in Yemen airport strike

The UN aircrew member hurt in an air strike on Yemen's main international airport on Thursday suffered serious injuries but is now recovering in hospital, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization said.

Israel said it struck multiple targets linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen, including Sanaa International Airport, and Houthi media said at least six people were killed.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was in the airport waiting to depart when the aerial bombardment took place and said that a member of his plane's crew was injured.

The injured man, who worked for the UN Humanitarian Air Service, had to be operated on, the WHO spokesperson said. He appeared to be recovering satisfactorily, the person added.

0740 GMT –– Israeli army herds everyone out of besieged Kamal Adwan Hospital

The Israeli military has surrounded Kamal Adwan Hospital and ordered everyone inside to gather in the outdoor square.

It comes after the Israeli army sent a message to Dr Hussam Abu Safiyeh, the hospital director, ordering him to bring patients and medics to the courtyard after which they will storm the hospital after that.

All communications with the hospital has been lost.

0708 GMT — Seven Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza homes

Seven Palestinians were killed and several others wounded as Israeli air strikes targeted two homes in Gaza City amid ongoing artillery shelling across the besieged territory.

A medical source told Anadolu that four of the Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in the Shujaiya neighbourhood.

Another three were killed in an Israeli air strike on a home belonging to the Harara family in the Sabra neighbourhood, said another source at al-Ahli Arab Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said that three explosive robots were detonated near al-Awda Hospital, east of Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

2310 GMT — Israel's military forces member killed in Gaza

The Israeli military announced that a major serving in its special forces was killed in northern Gaza.

A total of 391 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the start of the ground invasion in besieged Gaza in October last year.

2253 GMT — Israeli army conducts massive bombing campaign in northern Gaza

The Israeli army carried out large-scale demolition attacks targeting remaining buildings in several areas of the northern besieged Gaza, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.

The bombings were carried out in various locations, particularly around Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, witnesses said.

They added that the demolitions were executed using explosive "robots" planted among residential buildings, causing extensive destruction.

Israel's Channel 13 reported that the sounds of explosions from the demolition operations were audible in Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas.

2214 GMT — UN chief says Israeli strikes in Yemen, including at airport, are alarming

The spokesperson of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Israeli attacks in Yemen, saying Israel's air strikes on Yemen's Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations were alarming.

"Israeli air strikes today on Sanaa International Airport, the Red Sea ports and power stations in Yemen are especially alarming," the UN chief's spokesperson said in a press briefing while expressing concerns about the risk of further regional escalation.

2136 GMT — Nearly 50 killed in Israel's strike near Kamal Adwan Hospital

Israel has killed nearly 50 Palestinians in its air strike on a building opposite the headquarters of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern besieged Gaza, including three medical staff and workers.

"There are nearly 50 martyrs, including three of our medical staff, under the rubble of a building opposite Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Beit Lahia Project area after it was bombed by Israeli warplanes," Hussam Abu Safia, the hospital's director, said in a statement.

Abu Safia said the medical staff and workers were present in the targeted building because they were staying there with their families.

For our live updates from Thursday, December 26, 2024, click here.