PRCS announces complete closure of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced today the complete closure of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, following the forced evacuation of hospital staff and patients by the Israeli occupation forces. According to Wafa news agency, entrances to the hospital have been sealed off with dirt barriers.

The PRCS revealed that Israeli occupation forces had besieged Al-Amal Hospital two days prior to the closure, amidst intense shelling and gunfire, resulting in the deaths of a Palestinian civilian and a Red Crescent team member. Moreover, the occupation forces opened fire on two PRCS teams as they worked to clear rubble, creating a path for vehicles to facilitate the safe evacuation of casualties.

The society expressed further concern over the shutdown of Al-Amal Hospital, blaming the international community’s inability to ensure the essential protection of medical staff, patients and displaced individuals. It emphasised that the hospital endured a siege lasting over 40 days and was subjected to repeated bombings prior to occupation forces re-establishing the blockade and forcing all occupants to evacuate.

خروج مستشفى الأمل عن الخدمة

تعلن جمعية الهلال الأحمر الفلسطيني خروج #مستشفى_الأمل التابع للجمعية في مدينة خانيونس عن الخدمة وتوقفه عن العمل بشكل كامل، بعد إجبار قوات الاحتلال طواقم المستشفى والجرحى على إخلائه وإغلاق مداخله بالسواتر الترابية.

تعّبر الجمعية عن خيبتها لخروج… pic.twitter.com/uQThaggKOv

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) March 26, 2024

The closure comes after reports last week indicating that communication with staff at Al-Amal Hospital had been cut off, and Israeli drones had called for everyone inside to walk out of the premises naked, threatening further escalation. The PRCS said Israeli troops threw smoke bombs into the hospital to force medical teams, patients and those who were forcibly displaced out of the building.

The attacks on hospitals and their surroundings have caused numerous casualties, forced displacements and a dire situation where patients battle to access necessary medical care. UNICEF spokesman James Elder has said that just 12 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are only partially operational.

READ: Israel executed 13 children in Gaza in front of their families, says human rights NGO