As I write, thousands of people in northern Gaza are on the move, trying to escape the worst nightmare imaginable. Forced to leave their homes and temporary shelters, they leave behind everything they have known. The landscape of devastation is reminiscent of some of the worst conflicts in recent memory.
Northern Gaza, which represents a quarter of Gaza’s territory, has been under siege for 23 days. The nearly 400,000 residents remaining there after a year of war are faced with inhumane conditions: food, water and medicines have run out and aid is not reaching them. More than 800 people have been killed in three weeks.
The situation in the Jabalia refugee camp, which is the subject of ongoing military attacks, is particularly dire. Al-Awda Hospital, supported by Relief International, is the only partially functional medical center in the region.
The facility was struck three times in three weeks. Its upper floors and water supply system were destroyed, as well as its warehouse and pharmacy where essential medicines were stored. Last week, an ambulance transporting patients was hit, killing a woman who had just given birth, as well as her partner.
For five days, the center has been surrounded by armed forces, meaning neither civilians nor staff can enter or leave. Inside, a total of 163 people are trapped, including 24 patients in intensive care, 31 others with their companions and seven children. The surrounding area is inaccessible and transportation is impossible without a ceasefire. I am extremely concerned that the hospital will soon be overrun, as we have seen with other healthcare facilities over the past 24 hours.
Alongside the patients are 65 al-Awda staff members. These are heroes who showed incredible dedication and chose to stay to help those in their communities in need. Since the offensive on northern Gaza began in early October, they have helped thousands of patients and performed hundreds of surgeries as the hospital collapsed around them.
Our shipments of medicines and equipment that were supposed to arrive at al-Awda Hospital this month could not be delivered due to the closure of the Erez West and Erez Crossing/Beit Hanoon border crossings.
After the horrors of World War II, the right to health was enshrined in the 1946 Constitution of the World Health Organization. A few years later, in 1949, the Geneva Conventions were adopted to protect civilians and critical infrastructure in times of war and occupation. These conventions explicitly prohibit forcible transfers of civilians, regardless of motive, and require the protection of medical personnel and health facilities.
Yet today, in northern Gaza, these principles are being broken.
Humanity must not turn away. This is a call to all parties to this conflict: protect health professionals and civilians, guarantee humanitarian access and end hostilities near health facilities. It is also a call to third states to respect international humanitarian law and demand its application in Gaza.
This is not just a call for justice, it is a desperate call to save the 163 lives trapped in al-Awda hospital and countless others in northern Gaza. Relief International demands a ceasefire now.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Tel Aviv Tribune.
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