Israeli forces detain director of north Gaza hospital

Gaza health officials said on Saturday that Israeli forces detained the director of a hospital in the north, which the World Health Organization said was put out of service by an Israeli raid.

"The occupation forces have taken dozens of the medical staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital to a detention centre for interrogation, including the director, Hossam Abu Safiyeh," the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said in a statement.

The Gaza civil defence agency also reported that Abu Safiyeh had been detained, adding that the agency's director for the north, Ahmed Hassan al-Kahlout was among those held.

"The occupation has completely destroyed the medical, humanitarian, and civil defence systems in the north, rendering them useless," Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency, told the media.

On Friday, the Israeli military said it had launched an operation in the area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, alleging the facility was a "key stronghold for terrorist organisations".

Palestinian group Hamas denied its fighters were present in the hospital, and charged that Israeli forces had stormed the facility on Friday.

The World Health Organization, meanwhile, said the Israeli military operation had put the hospital out of service.

"This morning's raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital has put this last major health facility in north Gaza out of service. Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid," the WHO said in a statement on X.

Agence France-Presse