Throughout the night on 26 December 2024, Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia was reportedly attacked multiple times by the alleged detonation of Israeli military “robots” – remote controlled vehicles carrying boxes of explosives. One medical staff member, Hassan Rasim al-Dabous, was killed, while another medic was injured. The hospital suffered extensive damage.

According to a post from an account called Gigaza on Facebook, Hassan was 32-years-old at the time of his death. Speaking to Arab48 news agency, the Director of Kamal Adwan hospital, Hussam Abu Safiya, said that the hospital had been suffering from bombings continuously but that on the night of 26 December 2024 the remote controlled robots were closer than ever to the buildings and the level of explosives used seemed to have increased. Subsequently, Abu Safiya reported that when the explosive detonated, shrapnel from the explosion reached inside the hospital and hit nurse Hassan Rasim al-Dabous causing a serious head injury. According to Livequds via Facebook, Hassan worked in the intensive care unit and the post shared a photo showing the man receiving treatment in a hospital bed following the attack. Later reports from various sources, including Al Jazeera Arabic via Facebook, reported that Hassan unfortunately succumbed to his head injury and passed away. The Ministry of Health in Gaza also reported the attack and injury of Dr. Hassan al-Dabous.

The Director of the Hospital added in his statement to Arab48 news agency that Hassan was not able to be treated at Kamal Adwan Hospital as the hospital lacked the resources needed to deal with such a serious injury. The Director said that he hoped Hassan would be transferred to an alternative hospital for treatment but sadly according to other reports it appears that his life could not be saved. In addition, at the time of reporting, the Director stated that “the hospital is still under threat from drones, as one of the medical staff members was injured by shrapnel from an explosive dropped by a drone, resulting in a neck injury and her condition is moderate.”

According to the report from Arab48 news agency and the statement of the Director of the Hospital, Kamal Adwan Hospital was undergoing a shortage of medical and food supplies already. Reportedly, there were approximately 350 people in the hospital at the time of the large explosion at 04:30 AM on 26 December 2024, which destroyed parts of the hospital such as doors, windows, internal doors, the surgical department, patient accommodation and the intensive care unit.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Israeli military.