Maldives decries ‘heinous’ burning of last hospital in north Gaza

The Maldivian government has issued a statement strongly condemning Israeli forces after soldiers stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, set fire to large sections of the facility, and ordered hundreds of people to leave.

 The Israeli military assault on the Kamal Adwan Hospital on Friday put the last major health facility in northern Gaza out of service.

In a statement on Saturday, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the burning of the critical Gaza hospital, describing it as a “heinous act.”

“This heinous act represents a grave violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” said the ministry in its statement.

“Such attacks on vital healthcare facilities constitute a war crime and are a part of the ongoing relentless aggression against the Palestinian people.”

The Maldives reiterated its call on the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council, to take immediate and decisive action to stop Israel’s aggression in Gaza, protect the Palestinian people and hold accountable, those responsible for such crimes.

The Maldives also said it stands in firm solidarity with the Palestinian people, and reiterates that a just and lasting peaceful solution to the conflict can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had launched a raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital as it “serves as a Hamas terrorist stronghold”, but failed to provide evidence. Hamas said it “categorically” denied the claims.

The assault on the hospital has been condemned by the World Health Organization (WHO), which said that assaults on medical facilities are a “death sentence” for thousands of Palestinians and that “this horror must end”.

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.

60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition,… pic.twitter.com/bD5eJgnVkR

— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 27, 2024

As of Friday morning, the hospital housed about 350 people, including 75 patients, along with 180 medical staff.

The WHO said 60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition, including those on ventilators, reportedly remain in the hospital.

The patients in moderate to severe condition were forced to evacuate to the destroyed and non-functional Indonesian Hospital.

The UN health agency added that it was “deeply concerned for their safety”.

Gaza health officials said on Saturday that Israeli forces had detained dozens of medical staff from the Kamal Adwan Hospital, including the director, Hussam Abu Safia.

Israel has killed more than 45,400 people in Gaza since October 7, 2023, mostly children and women.

The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.