Israel Surrounds Indonesian and Al-Awda Hospitals in Northern Gaza
Israeli military tightens siege on key medical centers as attacks continue in Tel al-Zaatar
The Israeli army has surrounded the Indonesian Hospital and Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, escalating fears for the safety of medical staff, patients, and displaced civilians still inside.
Satellite images reviewed by Al Jazeera show Israeli military vehicles positioned just 60 to 100 metres from the Indonesian Hospital building. The facility continues to house wounded patients, doctors, and civilians seeking refuge from relentless airstrikes.
Fires and Blockade at Al-Awda Hospital
In Tel al-Zaatar, Israeli forces have also encircled Al-Awda Hospital, located near the Indonesian Hospital. According to satellite images, a massive fire erupted in the hospital’s medicine warehouse, which burned for days. Civil defence teams were finally able to reach the site after gaining rare coordination to control the flames.
This warehouse served as the only source of medical supplies for the entire hospital. Its destruction leaves the facility with limited or no access to essential medications, equipment, and oxygen.
Continuous Bombardment in Tel al-Zaatar
Local media and eyewitnesses report continuous Israeli shelling around the Tel al-Zaatar area. The surrounding neighborhoods have faced constant bombardment and ground incursions for over two weeks.
Israeli military vehicles have reportedly been advancing closer to Al-Awda, with no safe exit routes for civilians trapped inside. Loudspeakers, drones, and explosions have made evacuation impossible and dangerous.
Read: Israel’s Ben-Gvir Storms Al-Aqsa, ‘Prays for Victory’ in Gaza War
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Doctors and aid workers warn of a looming healthcare collapse in Gaza’s north. Both hospitals—already overwhelmed by mass casualties—are running out of fuel, water, and sterilization materials. Communications are down, and ambulances cannot reach the injured.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly called on Israel to protect medical facilities, citing international law. Yet, dozens of hospitals and clinics in Gaza have been damaged, destroyed, or rendered inoperable since the start of the war.
International Outcry and Legal Concerns
Human rights groups say the siege and attacks on hospitals could amount to war crimes under the Geneva Conventions. The targeting of medical infrastructure, especially when civilians are inside, is a serious violation of international law.
The United Nations, Doctors Without Borders, and Red Crescent societies have all urged for safe corridors to allow evacuations and medical aid. However, no breakthrough has been achieved.
No Safe Place Left in Gaza
With Indonesian and Al-Awda hospitals now surrounded, residents fear that northern Gaza is completely cut off. Hospitals once seen as safe havens have turned into zones of fear and fire.
Medical professionals inside the hospitals continue to perform surgeries without anesthesia, treat patients in hallways, and ration water among hundreds.
