One of the few partially functional hospitals in Gaza has been under siege by the Israeli military for a second consecutive day, a doctor at the hospital told CNN on Tuesday.
Four patients died at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Monday because they could not receive proper medical care due to the siege, and some 150 patients have been evacuated to the hospital’s courtyard, according to Dr. Fadel Naeem.
Naeem claimed Tuesday that the Israeli army has “abducted” two surgeons from the hospital as well as “companions” of patients at the hospital who were blindfolded, stripped of their clothes and interrogated.
Dozens of people taken from the hospital are still being held by the military, the doctor said.
Naeem also told CNN that Israeli tanks are stationed in Palestine Square in the heart of Gaza City, less than 200 meters (656 feet) from the hospital, amid the ongoing fighting in the area.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment on the allegations of abductions and military operation in and around the hospital.
Initial blast: In October, the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was at the center of a controversy after a blast on hospital’s premises. Palestinian officials and several Arab leaders accused Israel of hitting the hospital, but Israel said that a misfired rocket by the militant group Islamic Jihad caused the blast. Islamic Jihad – a rival group to Hamas – denied responsibility. A CNN investigation suggested that a rocket was the cause of the hospital blast, not an airstrike.
Israeli actions in and around hospitals in Gaza have come under fierce criticism, as medical workers and NGOS warn that the health system in the territory is barely functional and cannot tolerate any more strain.
Across the besieged enclave, only 11 hospitals remain even partially functional, Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) representative in Gaza, said last week.
Several hospitals in northern Gaza have ceased operations in recent weeks, saying they received orders from the Israeli military to evacuate. The Israeli military disputes issuing such an order.
The IDF have previously stated it does not target hospitals, only “Hamas strongholds.”
Israel says Hamas uses hospitals as a base, which Hamas denies.
