Health officials say 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 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 AFP.

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

"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. The hospital, which is the largest and only operational medical facility in northern Gaza, and over 400,000 Palestinians. was also set alight. 

Local sources confirmed that Israeli military units stormed the hospital, forcibly evacuating patients, injured civilians, medical staff, and journalists under heavy missile strikes and live ammunition fire.

Reports revealed that Israeli soldiers surrounded the hospital, cutting off all communication with those inside. Around 350 people, including 170 medical staff, were reportedly ordered to gather in the courtyard, where they were forced to strip in the cold, and later taken to an undisclosed location.