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An image captures the extensive destruction and the leveling of entire residential blocks in the Jabalia refugee camp caused by the ongoing full-flagged annihilation implemented by Israeli occupation forces in northern Gaza for nearly three months.
CrossFireArabia
The Israeli army on Friday threatened the Al-Awda Hospital management, its medical staff and patients inside to immediately leave the hospital, “otherwise, it will be struck with everyone inside.”
The Israeli army has already attacked the Kamal Adwan Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital putting them out of service, while the Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia in northern Gaza is still struggling to offer services.
According to a statement by the Al-Awda Hospital management, the Israeli army ordered the medical staff and patients to immediately leave.
Earlier, the Palestinian Information Centre said the Israeli forces stormed the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, threatened its staff and patients, and ordered its immediate evacuation.
The doctor in charge of the hospital stated that the facility had run out of all medical supplies, calling for urgent international action to save the lives of wounded civilians according to Anadolu.
Last Friday, Israeli forces also stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, set it on fire, rendered it out of service, and detained over 350 people inside, including its director Hussam Abu Safiya.
Since the onset of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military has been targeting Gaza’s health sector, bombing and besieging hospitals, issuing evacuation orders, and preventing the entry of medical supplies, especially in northern Gaza, which was re-invaded on Oct. 5.
The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on the enclave that has killed over 45,650 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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The Israeli government bears full responsibility for the life of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, amid alarming indications of torture and ill-treatment since his detention in late December.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has received information that Dr. Abu Safiya’s health has deteriorated due to the torture he endured during his detention, particularly while being held at the Sde Teyman military base in southern Israel. Euro-Med Monitor warns of the grave risk to his life, following patterns of deliberate killings and deaths under torture previously suffered by other doctors and medical staff arrested from Gaza since October 2023.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has documented testimonies confirming that Israeli soldiers physically assaulted Dr. Abu Safiya immediately after he left the hospital on Friday, 27 December 2024. He was then directly targeted with sound bombs while attempting to evacuate the hospital in compliance with orders from the Israeli army.
According to testimonies gathered by Euro-Med Monitor, the Israeli army subsequently transferred Dr. Abu Safiya to a field interrogation site in the Al-Fakhura area of Jabalia Refugee Camp. There, he was forced to strip off his clothes and was subjected to severe beatings, including being whipped with a thick wire commonly used for street electrical wiring. Soldiers deliberately humiliated him in front of other detainees, including fellow medical staff. He was later taken to an undisclosed location before being transferred to the Sde Teyman military camp under Israeli army control.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has also received information from recently released detainees at the Sde Teyman military camp, confirming that Dr. Abu Safiya was subjected to severe torture, leading to a significant deterioration in his health. This occurred despite him already being injured by Israeli air strikes on the hospital, where he worked tirelessly until the facility was stormed and set ablaze by Israeli forces.
The Israeli army has attempted to mislead the public regarding Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention and torture. Pro-Israeli media outlets circulated a misleading promotional video portraying his treatment as humane, even though he was tortured and humiliated immediately after filming.
Euro-Med Monitor warns of the severe implications of Israel’s denial of Dr. Abu Safiya’s detention, describing this as a deeply troubling indicator of his fate and detention conditions. This denial also reflects a blatant disregard for binding legal standards.
Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) submitted a request on behalf of Dr. Abu Safiya’s family to obtain information and facilitate a lawyer’s visit on 2 January 2024. However, the Israeli authorities claimed to have no record of his detention, stating they had no indication of his arrest.
Euro-Med Monitor expresses deep concern that Dr. Abu Safiya may face execution during his detention, similar to the fate of Dr. Adnan Al-Bursh, head of the orthopaedics department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, who was killed under torture at Ofer Detention Centre on 19 April 2024. Dr. Al-Bursh had been detained along with colleagues from Al-Awda Hospital in December 2023.
Likewise, Dr. Iyad Al-Rantisi, head of the obstetrics department at Kamal Adwan Hospital, was killed due to torture at an Israeli Shin Bet interrogation centre in Ashkelon, one week after his detention in November 2023. Israeli authorities concealed his death for more than seven months.
Dozens of doctors and medical staff remain subjected to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance in Israeli prisons and detention centres, where they face severe torture and solitary confinement, according to testimonies from former detainees.
The detention of Dr. Abu Safiya must be understood within the context of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has persisted for nearly 15 months. His arrest, torture, and potential execution form part of a broader strategy aimed at destroying the Palestinian people in Gaza—both physically and psychologically—and breaking their will.
This strategy includes not only the deliberate destruction of the health sector and the disruption of medical staff operations, particularly in northern Gaza, but also an attack on the symbolic and humanitarian role represented by Dr. Abu Safiya. Despite the grave crimes committed against Kamal Adwan Hospital, its staff, and patients, especially in the past two months, Dr. Abu Safiya remained unwavering in his dedication to providing essential medical care and fulfilling his medical duties.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor calls on all concerned states, international entities, and UN bodies to take immediate and effective measures to secure the unconditional release of Dr. Abu Safiya. His fundamental rights to life, physical safety, and dignity must be protected, shielding him from torture or any cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
Euro-Med Monitor also urges international and local human rights organisations to be granted full access to visit Dr. Abu Safiya, monitor his health condition, provide necessary medical treatment, and ensure he is free from human rights violations until his release.
Furthermore, Euro-Med Monitor reiterates its call for the United Nations to deploy an international investigative mission to examine the grave crimes and violations faced by Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. It calls for the immediate release of those detained arbitrarily, for international and local organisations to be granted visitation rights, and for detainees to have access to legal representation.
Euro-Med Monitor expresses regret over the continued inaction of Ms. Alice Jill Edwards, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, who has failed to address these atrocities. It condemns her bias and deliberate negligence in fulfilling her mandate and calls for her dismissal. A new Special Rapporteur who is neutral and committed to universal human rights principles must be appointed.
Additionally, Euro-Med Monitor urges the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to conduct immediate and thorough investigations into crimes committed by the Israeli military in Gaza. It calls for direct engagement with victims and families, as well as for reports to be submitted to pave the way for investigative committees, fact-finding missions, and international courts to prosecute Israeli crimes, hold perpetrators accountable, and compensate victims in line with international law.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor renews its call for relevant states and entities to fulfil their legal obligations to halt the genocide in Gaza. This includes imposing a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, holding it accountable for its crimes, and taking effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians. Immediate steps must also be taken to prevent forced displacement, ensure the return of residents, release arbitrarily detained Palestinians, and facilitate the urgent entry of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza without obstacles. Finally, Euro-Med Monitor demands the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the entire Gaza Strip.
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On the rubble of homes in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, where residents were displaced by the Israeli army, Israeli forces are celebrating the New Year 2025 amidst ongoing destruction.
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Harrowing testimonies of field executions, sexual harassment by the Israeli army in northern Gaza
Harrowing testimonies documenting serious crimes committed by the Israeli army against civilians during its storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding areas in northern Gaza were collected by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.
These crimes included deliberate killings, field executions, as well as sexual and physical assaults on women and girls from medical teams and displaced women in the area.
The units of Israeli infantry and armoured forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital and its vicinity, Friday, following weeks of siege, artillery and air bombardment, and targeted attacks on medical and technical staff working in the hospital. The attacks also disabled the hospital’s operational capacities by targeting power generators and oxygen production equipment.
According to testimonies collected by Euro-Med Monitor’s field team, Israeli forces committed a series of horrific crimes during their assault on the hospital. These included detonating booby-trapped robots near several inhabited homes, causing their collapse and killing civilians inside. The crimes also involved Israeli soldiers executing civilians on the spot, some of whom were wounded, while others carried white flags.
The Israeli army detained dozens of women and girls, subjecting them to severe abuse amounting to sexual harassment, alongside degrading treatment that violated their human dignity. This included beating them and forcing them to remove their hijabs and clothing.
Additionally, Israeli forces forcibly evacuated everyone in the area, compelling them to flee outside the northern Gaza governorate. During this operation, the army abducted dozens of individuals, including members of medical and service teams, such as Dr. Hossam Abu Safyieh, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and journalist Islam Ahmed.
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
“A.A.,” 41, recounted to the Euro-Med Monitor team: “I am a volunteer paramedic. I was staying in a house near Kamal Adwan Hospital 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.”
He added, “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.”
He continued: “During this time, a young man who had reached another house in the area 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. We 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.”
He added: “We returned to the house amid ongoing explosions. In the morning, we went back to our original house to find it almost 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. 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.”
“Later, the army sent a civilian (a Palestinian detainee) to tell us to surrender. We said we were civilians and raised a white flag. 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. 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.”
He added: “We were then 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. We 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.”
In the same assault, the Euro-Med Monitor documented testimonies revealing that nurses, patients, and their companions at Kamal Adwan Hospital were subjected to acts amounting to sexual violence. Israeli soldiers forced women and girls to remove their clothing under threats, insults, and offensive slurs targeting their honour. Several women and girls also reported being sexually harassed.
One of the women expelled from the area told the Euro-Med Monitor team: “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.”
Another woman reported that a soldier told 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. One victim recounted being dragged by a soldier who forced her to press against him, saying, “Take it off now,” while hurling obscene remarks at her.
Similarly, a hospital staff member told the Euro-Med Monitor team: “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 forces destroyed and burned most of Kamal Adwan Hospital’s sections after targeting it with shells. 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.
Euro-Med Monitor Human Rights Monitor calls on relevant UN bodies to launch an immediate investigation into the allegations contained in the testimonies of survivors from the Israeli army’s assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding area. It stresses 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.
Euro-Med Monitor reaffirms that the failure of states to fulfill their legal obligations to halt the genocide in Gaza over the past 14 months, coupled with their refusal to take decisive steps to compel Israel to stop its crimes, renders them internationally liable for these atrocities, with some states effectively becoming accomplices.
The international system, led by the United Nations, has chosen not to achieve the fundamental goals and principles upon which it was established. Over the past 14 months, it 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.
Euro-Med Monitor reiterates its calls for all relevant international and UN parties to act immediately to fulfill their legal obligations to end the genocide in Gaza, impose a comprehensive arms embargo on Israel, hold it accountable for all its crimes, and take concrete measures to protect Palestinian civilians.
Euro-Med Monitor also demands the facilitation of the return of forcibly displaced persons to their homes, the release of abducted Palestinians, and the revelation of the fate of forcibly disappeared individuals. It also urges the immediate and unobstructed entry of all forms of humanitarian aid, particularly life-saving supplies, to meet the needs of Gaza’s population, especially in northern areas.
Finally, Euro-Med Monitor calls for the compensation of all victims and their families, ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the entirety of Gaza and all Palestinian territories.
