ALBAWABA - In the early hours of Friday, Israeli forces stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, which remains under siege in northern Gaza, ordering patients to leave their rooms and gather in the hospital courtyard. Simultaneously, heavy airstrikes targeted homes in the Al-Manara area, south of Khan Younis, resulting in the deaths of dozens of Palestinians.
Hours after being detained at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, Palestinian activist Abdurrahman Bataah, also known as Aboud Bataah, was freed by Israeli soldiers. Anas Al-Sharif, a journalist for Al Jazeera, claims that Bataah was captured during an Israeli raid on the hospital and allegedly mistreated before being transported to an unidentified location.
Other media representatives were also seized with Bataah, according to local reports, but it's yet unknown where they are. Israeli troops encircled Kamal Adwan Hospital earlier in the day and told patients to congregate in the courtyard.
A spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defense told Al Jazeera that more than 150 patients and employees are still besieged inside the hospital as Israeli raids continue. Hospital facilities were damaged by the bombing, which also injured medical staff members and broke windows.
A well-known character on social media, Bataah gained notoriety in the last year for his satirical movies that show the harsh reality of life in Gaza after Israeli assaults. He often uses comedy to illustrate the difficulties that Gazans endure on a daily basis.
According to Gaza Civil Defense, over 150 patients and hospital staff are currently trapped inside Kamal Adwan Hospital. A spokesperson for Civil Defense told Al Jazeera that ongoing bombardments have shattered windows and injured members of the medical staff.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that Israeli forces detained young men found inside the hospital, subjecting them to interrogations. In a separate incident, several children lost their lives after the hospital's primary oxygen supply station was hit in the Israeli air raids.
