"🧵Exclusive Report by Younis Tirawi

Israeli Soldiers Hailed ‘Hit on Target’ on Gaza’s Only Cancer Hospital in Netzarim

Now, at least 13 Israeli officers involved in the attack will be taken to court in Turkey, following legal efforts conducted by Turkish-based [@wolasorg] & Pal Commission

The WorldWide Lawyers Association (WOLAS) is pending to file a formal complaint before a Turkish court, presenting substantial evidence in collaboration with the PAL Commission, an international justice project based in New York and operating across 29 countries

On March 21, the Israeli military bombed the Turkish Hospital, and leaked footage shows both the Medical Faculty and the hospital being targeted. On Mar 24, Haaretz reported that IDF is investigating Yehuda Vach reg responsibility for the destruction

IDF investigating if commander demolished nonfunctioning hospital in Gaza without approval

Haaretz article

A comprehensive legal dossier dated 22 March exclusively obtained reveals that investigators identified at least 13 officers along with Yehuda Vach and a specific military company under the command of Israel’s 16th Brigade as directly involved in the hospital’s destruction

Among the evidence provided is a video published here for the first time showing at least 8 tanks shelling every floor of the Turkish Hospital and several floors of the medical faculty morning 21/03. Soldiers can be heard saying “Hit on target” before smoke rises from hospital

The IDF alleged they launched an airstrike because Hamas operatives were gathered in the building, alleging it was a Hamas Command & Control Center. Not a single evidence was provided.

However, footage published contradicts this narrative, showing that the military had previously shelled every floor of the hospital and the medical faculty. Soldiers also had time to film the attack on their cell phones.

It is important to note that the Israeli military had turned the same hospital into an operational headquarters during their presence in Gaza

The Hospital was a central HQ for Israeli military operations and was used for sniper positions and operations rooms until their withdrawal in January 2025.

The dossier further details additional low rank officers and soldiers including dual nationals who vandalized the vandalized the hospital premises, destroyed medical equipment, defaced walls from the time frame of January 2024- Jan 2025.

The main 13 officers involved, ranging from Second Lieutenant to Major and up to Colonel, are directly involved in the March 21 hospital attack. The dossier also includes interviews with Medical Staff from TIKA Hospital.

Professor Sobhi Skeek, director of Gaza’s Only Cancer Hospital, shared a distressing account about the repeated targeting of the medical facility by Israeli forces since the war started.

The hospital, which had already been struck twice—on October 31 and November 1 2023—faced damage, including artillery hits on its third floor.

Compounding the crisis, Israeli military denies vital fuel shipments to the Hospital, depriving its ability to function

Prof. Skeek recalled a phone call from the (IDF) a week before the forced evacuation. "They told me, ‘Take your staff and patients and evacuate the hospital now”, he said. His response was firm but measured: "That’s impossible. Bring me somewhere safe to transfer these patients and guarantee their safety. We’re talking about 75 cancer patients."

To minimize risks, the hospital had already restricted access to only family members of patients and the medical personnel. Yet, the IDF’s reply was dismissive: "That’s not our problem. You have to evacuate."

They did shortly after. Result: 4 cancer patients had died. The Dossier also includes testimony of Dr. Mohammed Abo Nada, a pediatric specialist and head of medical staff at TIKA Hospital, who painted a grim picture of the healthcare crisis facing Gaza’s cancer patients.

“There are 13,000 cancer patients now without treatment..” But this is not the only suffering. Every year in Gaza, 1,000 to 1,500 new cancer cases are diagnosed. Right now, we are talking about 2,000 to 3,000 cancer patients living in tents, not only not knowing about their diagnoses but also unable to access critical treatment “Not only that, we also had 40-50 patients taking their daily chemotherapy at the Hospital. These are patients that had to meet up and receive their treatment.”

Abo Nada stated, “It’s heartbreaking—to shut down the hospital’s operations, then use it yourself & then destroy it.” "