Shocking testimonies reveal grave war crimes, including executions and sexual violence, during the Israeli army’s assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza.
Harrowing testimonies documenting serious crimes such as field executions and sexual assault of women committed by the Israeli army when it stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital and surrounding areas in northern Gaza have been recorded by the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
These crimes also included deliberate killings and physical assaults on women and girls from medical teams and the displaced in the area, the rights group said.
The Israeli army raided the hospital and its vicinity on Friday, following weeks of siege, artillery and air bombardment, which disabled the hospital’s power generators and oxygen production equipment.
The army forcibly evacuated patients from the hospital and residents from the area in addition to abducting dozens of individuals and medical staff, including the medical facility’s director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya.
Explosive Robots
A volunteer paramedic told the Geneva-based rights group that he was staying in a house near the hospital along 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,” the paramedic, identified as AA, said.
Euro-Med Monitor collected testimonies documenting crimes committed by the Israeli army during its storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital and surrounding areas in northern #Gaza, including deliberate killings, field executions, and sexual assaults on womenhttps://t.co/1jEYJVOa2A
— Euro-Med Monitor (@EuroMedHR) December 29, 2024
He continued: “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.”
At that time, another young man “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.”
He said they “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.”
White Flag Ignored
In the morning, they returned to their home to find it “completely destroyed.”
“Despite that, we sat in the kitchen, about 14 of us. Then army vehicles began shelling the house. We shouted that we were civilians,” he continued.
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“The homeowner stepped out, waving a white flag, but the soldiers immediately shot him dead from close range. When we tried to retrieve his body, they fired a shell at us, injuring more of us. Among us was a child who seemed to have a psychological disorder, worsened by the relentless bombing,” said AA.
“Later, the army sent a civilian (a Palestinian detainee) to tell us to surrender. We said we were civilians and raised a white flag,” he stated.
“They led us to an open area near a cemetery, where we were forced to strip down to our underclothes and stand in the freezing cold. When the child with the psychological disorder stepped out, he ran towards an Israeli tank. I called out to him, but he didn’t respond. They shot him dead immediately.”
‘Shot Dead without Questioning’
“There was an armoured personnel carrier and a tank in the area. A soldier ordered us to gather at a specific spot. Among us were five injured individuals who were forced to walk in front of the tank. Suddenly, they were shot dead without any questioning,” said the paramedic.
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He added that they were ordered to stop near the tank, and “I thought it was going to crush us. After some time, they transported us to the Al-Fakhoura area, where they left us exposed and nearly naked until 8 p.m.”
AA said there were around 300 people “and they detained several among us.”
“During this time, an officer fired shots above our heads and ordered us to head towards Jabalia. Drone aircraft hovered overhead until we arrived,” he stated.
Sexual Violence
Euro-Med Monitor also documented testimonies that reveal that nurses, patients, and their companions at Kamal Adwan Hospital were subjected to acts amounting to sexual violence.
We have obtained preliminary harrowing testimonies of sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli occupation soldiers against nurses, patients, and their companions at Kamal Adwan Hospital and in front of Al-Farid Hall.
The testimonies reveal horrific details of degrading assaults,… pic.twitter.com/KaB0WSOqfV
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) December 28, 2024
“Israeli soldiers forced women and girls to remove their clothing under threats, insults, and offensive slurs targeting their honour,” said the rights group, while several women and girls “also reported being sexually harassed.”
“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, causing her nose to bleed,” one of the women expelled from the area told the Euro-Med Monitor team.
‘Take it Off Now!’
Another woman said that a soldier ordered a woman in their group: “Take it off, or we’ll force it off you.”
In another incident, a woman refused to remove her headscarf, prompting a soldier to tear her clothes, exposing her chest.
Another woman recounted being dragged by a soldier who forced her to press against him, saying, “Take it off now,” while hurling obscene remarks at her.
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Similarly, a hospital staff member said: “The soldiers ordered us to remove our hijabs, but we refused. They then turned to the girls under 20 years old and demanded they remove their hijabs, but they also refused.”
The soldiers “decided to punish us by taking two women at a time and forcing them to lift their clothes and lower their trousers under threats and coercion.”
During the assault, Israeli occupation forces destroyed and burned most of Kamal Adwan Hospital’s sections after targeting it with shells, said Euro-Med Monitor.
“Preliminary information also indicates that several hospital staff members were killed while trying to extinguish fires in one of the hospital’s sections, which was completely rendered out of service,” said the report.
Call to UN
The rights groups called on the relevant UN bodies to launch “an immediate investigation” into the allegations contained in the stestimonies of survivors from the Israeli army’s assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding area.
It stressed “the need to activate legal mechanisms to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations, including individuals, political leaders, and military officials involved in such acts.”
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Euro-Med Monitor said that over the past 14 months, the international system, led by the UN, “has displayed a disgraceful failure to uphold its commitment to protecting civilians and stopping the genocide Israel is committing against Palestinians in Gaza—an objective that should be central to its mission and existence.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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