On Sunday, 17 December 2023, Israeli soldiers stormed into Al Awda Hospital in Jabalia, in northern Gaza. During this raid, they arrested 21 health workers, including the hospital director, Dr Ahmed Muhanna.
After three hours of interrogation, in degrading conditions, all were released except Dr Muhanna. His whereabouts remain unknown. The Al Awda Health and Community Association (AWDA), a long-standing partner of Viva Salud and Belgian Development Cooperation, has issued a statement condemning the arrest and harassment of its health workers and demanding the immediate release of AWDA hospital director Dr Muhanna.
Dr Ahmed Muhanna is an internationally recognised voice denouncing Israeli attacks on the healthcare system in Gaza. He has repeatedly and in detail described the appalling situation at AWDA Hospital in northern Gaza Strip over the past few weeks. In his last audio message, one day before his arrest, he stated: « No one can move around the hospital because of the [Israeli] snipers. The situation at the hospital is terrible. We have 38 patients, some of whom cannot receive medication. We have no oxygen and very little fuel for a small generator. We have food for two or three days at most. The situation is critical.»
Since 5 December, the AWDA hospital has been under siege by Israeli snipers. and tanks surrounding the building. No one can enter or leave the building, and a nurse has been killed by a sniper's bullet. A pregnant woman and her mother-in-law, who wanted to enter the hospital to give birth, were also targeted by gunfire. The mother-in-law was killed in the attack.
Repeated violence against AWDA hospitals
Earlier, on Friday 13 October, AWDA received a notification from the Israeli army asking it to evacuate the hospital within two hours. Israel then extended the deadline to 6 a.m. on Saturday morning (14 October). Dr Muhanna and his team decided to remain at the hospital with the patients, stating in an interview: «I received a call from the Israeli army asking me to evacuate the hospital. That's impossible. Some patients have been evacuated, but others cannot be transferred because of their serious condition. The hospital staff are determined to stay and provide patients with the necessary care.».
Al Awda Hospital in Jabalia is one of the only hospitals in the Gaza Strip that has continued to provide obstetric and gynaecological (surgical) care since the start of the war. More than 100 babies have been born in the hospital in recent weeks. This number is expected to rise, as there are an estimated 50,000 pregnant women in the Gaza Strip, 5,000 of whom are expected to give birth in the next month.
Israel's deliberate attack on Gaza's healthcare system is nothing less than a blatant war crime. Following the arrest of the director of Al Shifa Hospital, Israel continues in the same vein. by brutally attacking Al Awda Hospital, located in the northern part of Gaza, which has been heavily bombarded. For weeks, The WHO describes the health situation in Gaza as «catastrophic», «unprecedented» and «on the brink of collapse».». WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus summed up the situation by referring to total «moral decay».
Viva Salud supports AWDA and calls for the immediate release of Dr Ahmed Muhanna and the protection of all healthcare workers in Gaza. Healthcare professionals are not military targets.
