Israel has launched repeated attacks on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza. The airstrikes killed dozens and wounded many others, patients, medical staff, and innocent civilians who ran there seeking refuge. Al Jazeera Arabic caught footage of one such attack where a 16-year-old boy was sitting in his wheelchair killed at the entrance of the Kamal Adwan Hospital. The scene, according to the witnesses, "was a bloodbath." Survivors could only try to help each other while the injured screamed under the rubble.
Such attacks have been widely condemned by the ICRC and other humanitarian organizations: attacks on healthcare facilities violate both international and humanitarian law provisions of the Geneva Conventions. Hospitals, health professionals, and their patients are explicitly covered under international armed conflict, so to commit such acts is a sheer humanitarian breach.
Gaza on the Brink
The attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital come as Gaza endures one of the most severe humanitarian crises in modern history. More than 44,580 Palestinians have been killed, and 105,739 injured since the conflict began on October 7. Destruction has displaced millions, leaving families to live in makeshift shelters amidst freezing winter temperatures. According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), displaced individuals lack necessities such as blankets, warm clothing, and adequate shelter.
The total blockage has blocked the most important supplies including food, medicine, and fuel. The situation in all medical facilities is dire because of a lack of resources and equipment. In addition to being overwhelmed by the pressure of their job, they are now the victims as well.
International Response and UN Action
In a bid to somehow try to manage the spiraling situation, Palestine, in the United Nations General Assembly, presented two draft resolutions on the deteriorating situation. The first insists on an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in Gaza and also calls for unrestricted humanitarian access to this besieged region. It extends an invitation to consider introducing a second resolution, citing attacks on UNRWA and reaffirming it as the cornerstone of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. These resolutions will come before an emergency session on December 11.
Regional Spillover
It is also spreading into neighboring Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes have already killed at least 4,047 people and wounded 16,638 since October 7. Despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah, frequent truce violations by Israeli forces threaten to ignite broader regional hostilities.
Global Outrage Grows
International leaders are being called out increasingly amid rising death tolls as pictures of devastation begin to hit the globe. Human rights groups demand accountability for suffering civilians, and activists are on the rise around the world calling for an end to violence.
One would then ask, how much more can the world just watch as Gaza burns? What will it take to end this humanitarian catastrophe?
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