GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The last public hospital in northern Gaza has been forced out of operation, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced Sunday, as Israel’s military pressed forward with its latest major offensive in the region.
According to the ministry, Israeli forces besieged the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia with “heavy fire,” blocking access for patients, medical staff, and humanitarian supplies. The facility, which had served as the final operational hospital in northern Gaza, is now officially non-functional.
“With the destruction of Beit Hanoun Hospital, Kamal Adwan Hospital, and now the Indonesian Hospital being out of service, all public hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip are no longer operational,” the ministry said in a grim statement.
The collapse of the region’s remaining health services comes as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new ground assault, dubbed “Operation Gideon’s Chariot,” targeting Hamas strongholds in the north amid the deadliest wave of airstrikes in months.
Israel has not directly commented on the closure of the Indonesian Hospital but has stated that military operations are aimed at rooting out Hamas militants entrenched in civilian infrastructure.
Humanitarian groups warn the intensified campaign is decimating Gaza’s health sector, leaving wounded civilians with nowhere to go for treatment. Health officials say casualty numbers are rising sharply, with hospitals in the central and southern regions overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, indirect ceasefire negotiations resumed Saturday, though no agreement has been reached. A Palestinian official told the BBC that Hamas has offered to release nine Israeli hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Israel has yet to publicly respond to the latest offer. A prior round of negotiations failed to yield results amid a growing humanitarian crisis and rising public pressure inside Israel to recover remaining hostages.
The health system’s collapse in the north is likely to fuel further international concern. Aid agencies have repeatedly called for safe humanitarian corridors to allow for medical evacuations and supply deliveries, warning that continued blockades and bombardments will lead to catastrophic loss of civilian life.
bbc.com
