The operation of two hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip is under threat due to ongoing fighting between the Israeli army and the military wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, officials, the United Nations and a non-governmental organization warned on Tuesday.

Al-Awda Hospital, not far from the Jabalia refugee camp, was besieged for the third day in a row, its director-general, Dr. Mohammad Saleh.

He spoke of Israeli armed forces firing at hospital buildings and “snipers” present “around it and in neighboring houses”.

“Medical staff and patients are inside the hospital. Their movement from one service to another and from one hospital building to another is extremely difficult”, he underlined.

When AFP tried to contact him for comment about the hospital, the Israeli military did not respond.

Rick Peppercorn, official of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Palestinian Territories, spoke during a press conference about “unstoppable” fire which “caused damage to infrastructure necessary for the operation of the hospital”, in which they are “trapped” 148 staff members and 22 patients.

Dounia Dehili, coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the Gaza Strip, told AFP that “nobody or anything is going in or out” of the hospital for fear of being targeted by snipers.

The hospital was already besieged in December for days.

“The hospital staff are afraid of the same scenario repeating itself, with medical teams being targeted, the hospital being raided and the staff being arrested,” Mohammad Saleh explained.

In the Palestinian enclave, which is being pounded by the Israeli army after the attack by the military arm of Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, only 13 of the 36 hospitals remain in operation and these only partially, the WHO emphasized on May 17.

The Israeli armed forces accuse Hamas of using the hospitals as command centers, which is denied by the Palestinian Islamist movement, which is designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the US and the EU.

On Saturday, Hamas reported that the siege of the Jabalia refugee camp, near Al-Awda Hospital, was continuing for a seventh day, citing an “intensification of raids”.

The Israeli armed forces announced on May 12 that they had begun an “operation” in Jabalia, after ordering the civilian population to leave temporarily a day earlier, citing an attempt by “Hamas to reorganize its terrorist infrastructure and operations in the area”.

Information about the Camal Antoine hospital, north of Jabalia, “is even more disturbing,” Mr. Peppercorn emphasized.

“Last week, with the intensification of hostilities around the hospital, the flow of patients and wounded increased (…) but now the hospital is also affected,” he explained.

According to him, “at this moment, there are still 20 health personnel and 13 patients” and their “urgent removal” is underway.