The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday that numerous terror operatives were killed during overnight ambushes conducted by the military’s 162nd Division in Jabalia, part of its ongoing operations in northern Gaza. According to the IDF, many terrorists were killed in Jabalia through gunfire and tank shelling. The military explained that units from the 401st Armored Brigade, Givati Infantry Brigade, and the elite Multidomain Unit had been positioned in ambushes overnight, following intelligence about terrorists attempting to flee the area.
“Many terrorist squads were eliminated in ambushes by the forces, after they were seen fleeing with weapons in their hands,” the IDF said, releasing footage of armed operatives running. This operation followed a large-scale raid conducted by the IDF at the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, just outside Jabalia, where hundreds of terror operatives were arrested. The IDF has been operating in Jabalia since early October, facing significant resistance from remaining Hamas cells in the region. Meanwhile, the return of civilians to northern Gaza has become a key issue in ongoing ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between Hamas and Israel.
On Monday, the World Health Organization’s director called for the immediate release of Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan, who is being detained by the IDF after its operation at the hospital. WHO also stated that the IDF’s operation at Kamal Adwan rendered the last major healthcare facility in northern Gaza non-operational, with no patients remaining at the site. “Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a post on X. “Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza is out of service following the raid, forced patient and staff evacuation and the detention of its director. His whereabouts are unknown. We call for his immediate release.”
The IDF reported on Sunday that 19 Palestinian terror operatives were killed, and 240 were captured in the raid, describing it as one of the largest operations in the area. The military also confirmed that Abu Safiya was detained on suspicion of being a Hamas operative. When asked if he had been transferred to Israeli territory for further questioning, the IDF did not immediately respond. Kamal Adwan Hospital was referred to by the IDF as “Hamas’s last bastion in Jabalia,” with hundreds of terror operatives allegedly using the facility as a shelter from Israeli airstrikes. The IDF added that the operatives returned to the hospital after the military’s previous operation there in late October.
The IDF noted that of the 940 Palestinians who passed through an army checkpoint outside Kamal Adwan, 240 were detained for alleged ties to terrorist groups. In total, around 600 civilians and 95 patients, caregivers, and medical personnel were evacuated from the hospital. The military also claimed that some of the terrorists were disguised as medical staff or patients, with some attempting to leave the hospital on stretchers or in ambulances. The IDF stated that of a group of 21 patients leaving the hospital, 13 were later identified as suspected terrorists.
Tedros reported that critical patients from Kamal Adwan had been transferred to the Indonesian Hospital, which itself was out of operation. “Amid ongoing chaos in northern Gaza, WHO and partners today delivered basic medical and hygiene supplies, food and water to Indonesian Hospital and transferred 10 critical patients to Al-Shifa Hospital,” he said. “We urge Israel to ensure their health care needs and rights are upheld.”
Tedros also mentioned that seven patients, along with 15 caregivers and health workers, remained at the “severely damaged” Indonesian Hospital, which was unable to provide care. “Al-Ahli Hospital and Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital in Gaza City also faced attacks today and both are damaged,” he added. “We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals. People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid.” Before the operation, the IDF stated that it had facilitated the evacuation of 350 patients, caregivers, and medical personnel to other hospitals, a process coordinated by the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
{Matzav.com Israel}
