The Palestinian health ministry reported that at least 600 individuals, comprising patients, their companions, and medical staff, are trapped within the hospital’s grounds.

On Friday, Israeli forces raided the northern Gaza hospital and ordered patients to evacuate to the main courtyard as part of a mass arrest operation, according to the Wafa news agency. Tragically, this siege has already claimed the lives of two children in the intensive care unit due to a generator failure and an attack on the hospital’s oxygen station.

The health ministry’s statement indicated that the situation inside the hospital is "alarmingly deteriorating." Among those trapped are 195 patients and 70 medical staff members. The raid followed an intense tank shelling of the hospital compound a day prior, adding to the destruction and chaos in one of the few remaining operational medical facilities in northern Gaza.

Hussam Abu Safia, the hospital's director, reported that the intensive care unit sustained severe damage from the tank attack. Abu Safia emphasized the gravity of the situation, warning that the hospital could turn into a mass grave, with one patient reportedly dying every hour.

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, acknowledged the crisis, stating that they had lost contact with the hospital personnel and described the raid as "deeply disturbing." He highlighted on social media platform X that Kamal Adwan Hospital has been overwhelmed with nearly 200 patients and hundreds of people seeking refuge.

Eyewitnesses and doctors told Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud that fires had broken out, hampering evacuation efforts and ambulance operations. Patients, including the wounded and those with serious health issues, were forcibly moved to the hospital courtyard amid the turmoil. Mahmoud noted that the attack came just as fuel supplies were expected to arrive for the hospital’s generators, now making continued operations almost impossible.

The Israeli military justified its actions, saying they were "operating in the area" based on intelligence about "terrorists and terrorist infrastructure." The Indonesian Hospital, another medical facility in northern Gaza, was also forced out of service on Monday after a raid led to fires that damaged its generators and solar panels, cutting off all power sources.

This conflict has intensified the humanitarian crisis, leaving the United Nations unable to access the besieged hospitals for aid delivery. The UN Human Rights Office has expressed growing concerns about the nature of the hostilities and the Israeli military’s actions that are resulting in forced displacement and interference with humanitarian assistance.