TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Israeli military has announced the commencement of a new extensive ground operation across northern and southern Gaza on a day that has seen at least 151 people killed in an unrelenting wave of attacks across the Palestinian territory within 24 hours on Sunday.
At least 36 people were killed and over 100 injured as Israeli warplanes bombed a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera.
At least 135 people were killed on Sunday morning alone, including 42 in the heavily bombed northern Gaza area, medical sources told Al Jazeera Arabic. Five journalists were also among the casualties, along with their families, when their homes were bombed.
Verified videos from the scene showed many dead bodies, including some burned ones. The casualties were taken to the nearest field hospitals and the Nasser Medical Complex.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, Indonesian Hospital director Dr. Marwan al-Sultan said Israeli forces "directly targeted" and besieged the facility, trapping about 55 people inside.
In its latest attack on Gaza's shattered healthcare system, Israel once again targeted the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza. This time, they used drones, while their forces carried out ground assaults in the north and south of the heavily bombed area.
Health officials said on Sunday night that the fighting around the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza and the Israeli military "siege" forced the hospital to close.
It's the main medical facility in the north, after last year's Israeli air strikes also forced the Kamal Adwan and Beit Hanoon hospitals to stop providing healthcare services.
“There is direct targeting on the hospital including the intensive care unit,” Indonesian Hospital director Dr. Marwan al-Sultan said in a statement, that no one could reach the facility, which has about 30 patients and 15 medical staff inside.
Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals during the 19-month war in Gaza. Human rights groups and UN-backed experts have accused Israel of systematically destroying Gaza's healthcare system.
The Gaza Health Ministry said, "The shutdown of the Indonesian Hospital, all public hospitals in the North Gaza Governorate are now out of service."
Indonesian humanitarian organization Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) stated that the Zionist Israeli army's attack on the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza had caused severe structural damage and compromised the hospital's healthcare services.
MER-C explained the impact of Israel's attack on the Indonesian Hospital and the neighboring Joserizal Building. The condition of the hospital is distressing. The window panes were shattered, and the ceiling collapsed onto the floor, thus disrupting various crucial medical services in the intensive care unit, emergency department, and operating room, as reported by Antara.
Through its press release, MER-C stated that the bombs dropped by Zionist forces around the hospital area had produced strong shocks, which locals felt like an earthquake, further contributing to the damage at the hospital.
MER-C said some medical equipment was even reported to have been crushed by the debris due to the explosion shock.
According to information from local MER-C staff at the Indonesian Hospital, Israel had besieged the building with its drones, while their military personnel, around 500 meters to the north and south of the hospital, forbade any activity there.
Despite the threat from Israel and food scarcity, dozens of medical staff and volunteers who are still surviving at the Indonesian Hospital continue to clean the hospital's interior. MER-C ensures that there are still 20 staff members at the facility.
According to MER-C, the Indonesian Hospital has always served as a healthcare facility for the people of Gaza. They reiterate their commitment to continue supporting medical services and renovating the hospital despite the limitations and damage caused by Israel's attack.
MER-C states that the planned and unwarned attacks on medical workers and healthcare facilities are serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The humanitarian organization also urges Israel to immediately stop its military attacks in the Gaza Strip and not cause further damage to the Indonesian Hospital, and to lift the food blockade on Gaza so that medical staff can receive the necessary assistance.
Gaza's healthcare facilities have been repeatedly targeted during Israel's deadly offensive that started 18 months ago.
Other facilities in the north that have been bombed, torched, and besieged by the Israeli military since the start of the war include Kamal Adwan Hospital, al-Shifa Hospital, al-Ahli Hospital, and al-Awda Hospital. Dozens of clinics, stations, and other medical vehicles have also been targeted.
Targeting healthcare facilities, medical personnel, and patients is considered a war crime under the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
At least 464 Palestinians have been killed in the past week as the Israeli military prepares to significantly intensify its ground invasion into Palestinian territory despite international criticism. At least 53,339 Palestinians have been killed and 121,034 injured since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Palestinian Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700 people, noting that thousands of people who are still missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
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