Latest news with #Marwanal-Hams
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israeli undercover force detains senior Gaza health official, ministry says
An Israeli undercover force detained Marwan al-Hams, a senior Gaza Health Ministry official, outside the field hospital of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, the ministry said. It said that Hams, in charge of field hospitals in the enclave, was on his way to visit the ICRC hospital in the city of Rafah when an Israeli force "abducted" him after opening fire, killing one person and wounding another civilian nearby. Medics said the person killed was a local journalist who was filming an interview with Hams when the incident happened. An ICRC spokesperson said the ICRC hospital had admitted and treated patients injured in the incident but would not comment further on their status in order to protect their privacy. It said it was "very concerned about safety and security" around the field hospital. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has raided and attacked hospitals across Gaza during the 21-month war in Gaza, accusing Hamas of using them as cover for military operations, an accusation the Palestinian militant group denies. But sending undercover forces to carry out arrests has been rare.
India.com
2 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Israeli Tanks Storm Deir al-Balah, WHO Staff Attacked As Hostage Families Beg For Mercy
Cairo (Egypt): The tanks entered before sunrise. Engines growled through the shattered streets of Deir al-Balah. Heavy tracks crushed the silence. Residents ran toward the west. Others gathered what little they could carry and followed a trail of smoke into the unknown. The Israeli army reached new districts in southern Gaza on Monday. Its target is neighbourhoods inside Deir al-Balah. Local reports say the tanks moved deep, not near the outskirts. The area is dense. Shelters packed. Thousands living in tents. Most of them already displaced. First from the north. Then again from central Gaza. Then again. Nowhere to go. No place untouched. Inside the chaos, artillery shells landed on homes and mosques. Three people died. More were injured. Medics rushed through dust-filled corridors. At one mosque, the roof collapsed. Children pulled from underneath. Screams followed. Israeli sources told media outlets they believe hostages might be hidden nearby. That possibility led the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) to push deeper. That belief sparked the assault. In one corner of the city, a guesthouse caught fire. The building belonged to the World Health Organization. Flames lit the night sky. Glass shattered. Staff and families ran barefoot through alleys. Children screamed. The air thick with smoke and fear. The WHO confirmed the strike. Three attacks. One building. Dozens trapped inside. Male staff stripped and tied. Women pushed out of doors under threat. The soldiers searched everything. They questioned, scanned and detained. Two WHO workers and two relatives were taken. Only three came back. One remains missing. A few streets away, another facility was hit. A warehouse stocked with health supplies now lies in ruins. Burnt cartons. Broken medical kits. A place once meant to save lives now silent. Despite everything, the WHO chose to stay. Their words were clear. 'We will expand our operations.' Their tone calm. Their decision resolute. Farther south in Khan Younis, an airstrike ripped through a tent. Five dead. A husband, a wife, two children and a neighbour. Medics worked through tears. There was no time to pause. More than 130 deaths in 24 hours. That is what Gaza's Health Ministry reported. Over 1,000 wounded. Hospitals are collapsing. Fuel gone. Food low. Medicines finished. The head of Gaza's field hospitals, Dr. Marwan al-Hams, was taken during a raid outside a Red Cross medical site. One journalist died. Another was injured. No ambulance reached them. No statement came from Israel. Silence followed. In Deir al-Balah, U.N. staff stayed inside offices. They heard the shelling. Two U.N. guesthouses were hit. Everyone inside took cover. Their location was known. Coordinates shared long ago. Still, the buildings were not spared. Health workers now survive on one meal daily. Hospital floors fill up with the sick and the starved. Children cry from hunger. Old men faint in waiting lines. Mothers whisper prayers. The Health Ministry warned again. More hunger deaths will come. Nineteen already lost since Saturday. And the food still waits. Warehouses full. Trucks parked across the border. Rice, flour and lentils ready to move. But the gates stay closed. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff inside Gaza send messages. Some say their own children have stopped eating. Food prices break records. One loaf of bread now costs more than a full day's wage. Outside, in a different world, over 20 nations demand a ceasefire. Britain led the call. They criticised the aid system. Said it failed. Said too many had died waiting for handouts. Their voices echoed through diplomatic halls. Israel pushed back. Said the criticism was misplaced. Said it gave Hamas the wrong idea. No pause followed. Families of hostages gathered again. They held signs. They asked questions. They received no clear answers. They warned of the cost. Their words carried weight. Their faces told the rest. Since October 7, 2023, the war continues. That morning, Hamas gunmen crossed into Israel. Over 1,200 killed. Around 251 were held hostage and taken to Gaza. The military response has since left over 59,000 Palestinians dead. Every part of Gaza hit. No area untouched. Today, Gaza stands on edge. Its people tired. Its cities scarred. Aid blocked. Talks stalled. Lives in limbo. And still, the smoke rises.
Shafaq News
2 days ago
- Health
- Shafaq News
Israeli forces accused of abducting Gaza's top field hospital chief
Shafaq News – Gaza Israel's reported abduction of a senior Palestinian physician in southern Gaza has drawn sharp condemnation from Gaza's Health Ministry, local authorities, and Hamas, who describe the incident as part of a broader campaign targeting the medical sector amid the ongoing war. On Monday, an Israeli special forces unit allegedly abducted Dr. Marwan al-Hams, the director of Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital and Gaza's top official overseeing field hospitals, while he was visiting a facility affiliated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Rafah. According to Palestinian officials, the assault involved direct fire on an ambulance, resulting in multiple casualties, including journalist Tamer al-Za'anin. The Government Media Office in Gaza called the incident a 'war crime' and 'a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.' It held Israel 'fully responsible' for Dr. al-Hams' safety and demanded an international response. 'This is a grave breach of the most basic legal norms,' it said in a statement, calling for the international community to clarify its stance and act to stop such violations. Gaza's Ministry of Health issued a strongly worded statement denouncing the abduction, describing it as 'a dangerous precedent and direct assault on one of the leading humanitarian voices who conveyed the suffering of Gaza's starving children and untreated wounded to the world.' The ministry added, 'This cowardly act reflects a premeditated attempt to silence truth and conceal the suffering of an entire people enduring the worst health and humanitarian disaster.' The ministry demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. al-Hams and reiterated that the Israeli military would be held accountable for his fate. In a separate statement, the Hamas movement condemned what it called 'a deliberate attack' on Gaza's health sector, citing the abduction and the killing of civilians during the raid. The group accused Israel of waging 'a campaign of extermination targeting all aspects of life in Gaza' and demanded urgent international intervention. Hamas urged the World Health Organization, the ICRC, and other global institutions to condemn the incident and exert pressure on Israel to release detained Palestinian medical workers. Israel has not formally acknowledged detaining Dr. al-Hams. No official statement from the Israeli military or government has confirmed the abduction. However, the Israeli army has previously accused some Gaza medical personnel of cooperating with Hamas or using hospitals for militant activities — claims that have drawn widespread international scrutiny and criticism. Since October 2023, the war in Gaza has devastated the health system. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 400 medical staff have been killed, and more than 300 others detained. Dozens of hospitals and clinics have been destroyed or rendered inoperable. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that the collapse of Gaza's health sector has left civilians with little access to food, medicine, or emergency care. Dr. al-Hams, a physician and spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, had been a visible figure throughout the war, regularly reporting on shortages in hospitals and the humanitarian crisis facing patients and displaced families.
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian Ministry of Health condemns Israeli arrest of Gaza hospital director
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed that Dr Marwan al-Hams, director of the Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, has been arrested by Israeli Special Forces. The Ministry condemned the arrest as a "cowardly act", and described al-Hams as "one of the most prominent humanitarian and medical voices" in Gaza. Israel has frequently targeted health workers and hospital infrastructure during its ongoing war on Gaza. The arrest follows Israel's killing of prominent Palestinian doctor Marwan al-Sultan in a missile strike on his home on 2 July.
Middle East Eye
2 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Israeli special forces abduct director of hospital in Gaza
Israeli special forces have abducted Dr Marwan al-Hams, director of Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital and spokesperson for the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, outside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) field hospital in the southern part of the enclave. The Palestinian health ministry said on Monday that Hams, who also oversees field hospitals in the Gaza Strip, was on his way to visit the ICRC facility in northern Rafah when undercover Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing one person and wounding another civilian, before capturing him. The person killed was a local journalist who had been conducting an interview with al-Hams at the time of the attack. "This cowardly act targeted one of the most prominent humanitarian and medical voices who has conveyed to the world the pain of starving children, the suffering of wounded patients deprived of medication, and the cries of mothers at hospital gates," the ministry said in a statement. "It clearly reflects a deliberate intention to silence the truth and obscure the suffering of an entire people enduring one of the worst health and humanitarian disasters." New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters An ICRC spokesperson said they had admitted and treated patients wounded in the incident and said it was "very concerned about the safety and security" around the field hospital. 'Starving civilians' The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) has meanwhile accused Israel of 'starving civilians', including a million children in Gaza, by blocking vital food and medicine deliveries into the besieged enclave. Unrwa issued the warning on Sunday, calling on Israel to lift its blockade and allow humanitarian aid to flow freely. At militarised distribution sites run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) Palestinian civilians trying to access food are being shot and killed by the Israeli army. Since the GHF was set up in late May, nearly 900 people have been killed, according to Palestinian health authorities. People carrying sacks of flour walk along al-Rashid street in western Jabalia on 17 June 2025 (AFP) Since Israel broke a six-week ceasefire in March, Israel has maintained a tight blockade on Gaza. Although limited aid has trickled in since late May, supplies accumulated during the truce have run out, pushing the territory into the worst shortages since the war began in October 2023. The situation is particularly dire for pregnant women and newborns. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says its clinics are seeing record numbers of malnutrition cases. 'Many babies are being born prematurely due to widespread malnutrition among pregnant women,' said MSF doctor Joanne Perry. She added that overcrowded neonatal units now have up to five babies sharing a single incubator. 'Wounds are not healing due to protein deficiency. Infections are lingering far longer than normal. This is a full-blown crisis,' said Perry.
