Date of Testimony: January 17, 2025 

Location: Al-Shati Refugee Camp, Gaza City

I am Anwar Younis Rabah Al-Masri, 30 years old, from Beit Hanoun, single, and I work as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital. My life was focused on my family and my work, saving lives, until the war came and changed everything.

Forced Displacement: Loss of Home and Safety

On October 8, 2024, our house in Beit Hanoun was bombed, leaving us with no choice but to be displaced. My family moved to Al-Ayyoubia School in the Jabalia refugee camp, while I stayed at the hospital. My parents were not there, as they had traveled a month before the war, and I was living with my siblings.

The First Siege: Two Weeks of Hell

On December 15, 2023, the first siege of Kamal Adwan Hospital began, lasting for two weeks. We endured severe shortages of water and food, as well as oxygen, while artillery relentlessly shelling. I worked between the ICU and the emergency department, facing death at every moment. The constant, indiscriminate bombing and tank shelling of homes led to a massive number of injured and martyrs into the hospital.

The situation only worsened when, one morning at 6:00 AM, the Israeli occupation forces stormed into the hospital. Tanks, soldiers, and snipers filled the area, while intensive drones flew overhead. They arrested doctors and nurses, and by 5:00 PM, they forced us to leave the hospital. I tried to help the patients and the elderly escape safely, and I carried a nine-month-old baby from the Mushtaha family throughout the journey, handing him over to his father at the Abu al-Judyan roundabout in Mashrou’ Beit Lahia. Afterward, I returned to my siblings at Al-Ayyoubia School, where I had been staying since we lost our home.

The Second Siege: Starvation and Fear

In April 2024, the siege returned to Jabalia. By then, I was inside Kamal Adwan Hospital again, but this time the Israeli occupation forces did not storm the hospital. However, our situation was no better. We suffered from severe shortages of water and food, and we lived in constant fear due to the relentless shelling and repeated attacks. Every day felt like an endless nightmare. Yet, I clung to life, working amidst the injured, trying to treat them, and praying that this hell would someday end.

The Raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital: Nights of Horror and Survival

Months passed amidst ongoing suffering. Then, on October 5, 2024, while I was still at Kamal Adwan Hospital, events began to escalate at 8 PM with the start of the third ground incursion into Jabalia. That night, after my shift ended, I left the hospital to stay with my brothers at the Ayubiya School.

By the morning of October 6, 2024, the bombardment intensified everywhere, indiscriminately targeting schools and homes. I returned to the hospital, where a large number of wounded and dead poured in, the result of horrific massacres with enormous injuries.

On the night of October 22, 2024, from midnight until 5 AM, the courtyard of Kamal Adwan Hospital was subjected to direct shelling, targeting the pharmacy and the archives, in addition to the surrounding houses.

At dawn on October 23, 2024, at 5 AM, the nursery inside the hospital was targeted, resulting in many deaths and injuries. We immediately transferred the surviving children to intensive care, but minutes later, tanks stormed the hospital, its walls were demolished, and snipers spread everywhere. Through loudspeakers, we were ordered to evacuate the hospital, leaving only the doctors and wounded with one companion for each injured person.

From 7 AM until 11:30 AM, women and children left, while some men were arrested, while others were released after their identities were verified. I was in the main building with the patients, where the number of wounded was large due to the incursion. Many of them were in the outpatient clinic, but due to the severity of their injuries and the absence of companions, we transferred them to the main building at 1 PM for fear of targeting or neglect, as they were in dire need of medical care.

At 12 noon, the IOF gave us only five minutes to empty the pharmacy. I was with four doctors, and we managed to get a small amount of medicines, solutions, and painkillers before the deadline expired. Between 2 PM and 3 PM, a complete ban on movement was imposed inside the hospital, preventing us from following up on medical cases, while tanks were stationed at the entrance to the reception.

At 4 PM, the soldiers had approached the reception door. I was with my colleagues Baraa al-Askari (a doctor) and Iyad al-Sheikh (a journalist), and they were looking out the window when a single bullet hit them together; Baraa was hit in the chest and lost consciousness, while Iyad was hit in the face and began to scream in pain.

I informed the doctors that the Israeli occupation army was firing through the windows, and that there were wounded people in need of rescue. I went with Dr. Muhammad Brika and Dr. Muhammad Ubaid to rescue Baraa and Iyad. At that moment, quadcopter drones entered the hospital corridor and began filming us while we were providing first aid to our colleagues. We felt fear at first, but we quickly overcame it and continued our work. We remained in the building until 10 PM, amidst an atmosphere of anticipation and constant danger.

At 10 PM, Dr. Hossam Abu Safia was ordered to evacuate the medical staff, and we were asked to gather on the ground floor with the wounded and their companions. We complied with the instructions and gathered there, while quadcopter drones hovered over the upper floors, monitoring every movement.

On the third floor, the critically injured and newborns in incubators remained, under the care of Dr. Muhammad Brika and nurse Muhammad al-Namnam. The quadcopter drone hovered inside this floor, making the situation more tense and dangerous.

At midnight, we were all gathered on the ground floor when the Israeli army stormed the hospital, with over fifty soldiers accompanied by their trained dogs. An atmosphere of terror and panic prevailed, as the soldiers began breaking down doors and searching the entire hospital, leading to widespread chaos. The dogs surrounded us, barking fiercely, while the soldiers held them tightly.

Part of the soldiers were stationed at the reception door, while the rest spread throughout the upper floors to conduct searches. During this time, Dr. Hossam Abu Safia served as the liaison between the army, the medical staff, and the patients. Whenever the soldiers called him and he was late to respond, they would assault him by hitting him in the face. He was visibly ashamed as he looked at his medical colleagues, trying to hide the humiliation he had endured.

This harsh situation continued from midnight until 1 PM, amidst an atmosphere of extreme tension, while the generators were still operating, providing light in the place, revealing the scenes of horror and violations suffered by the medical staff and patients alike.

At 1 AM, the Israeli army ordered Dr. Hossam Abu Safia to evacuate the medical staff, including doctors and nurses, through the reception door. As soon as they exited, the soldiers forced them to strip completely naked, then led them to the outpatient clinic in their naked state. Later, my colleagues told me that the clinic was dark, and that they were subjected to severe beatings while their hands were tied and their eyes blindfolded. After that, the army asked Dr. Hossam to provide them with the names of the doctors, nurses, the wounded, and their companions. They then called out four wounded individuals and took them inside a tank to an unknown destination.

By 2 AM, the soldiers ordered Dr. Hossam to evacuate the injured women who could walk, along with their companions, in addition to the female medical staff. We were thirty women, including nurses, medics, and lab technicians. We were lined up in the hospital courtyard in front of a tank, while soldiers spread around us, and snipers were stationed in the building of the maternity ward directly overlooking the courtyard. The windows of the ward were filled with snipers who aimed their weapons at us.

From 2:30 AM to 5 AM, we stood there under the threat of weapons, as the IOF fired shots in the air to intimidate us, and hurled insults and obscene language at us. I cannot even repeat the words we heard because of their obscenity. Laser from the soldiers’ weapons were aimed directly at our heads, which increased our terror.

During this time, we were photographed individually by the Israeli officers, while the quadcopter drone hovered directly above us, monitoring our every move, making the moments pass as if they were eons of fear and anticipation.

At 5 AM, the IOF forced us to enter the reception department, where the door was open. After that, they took out all the men, including doctors, nurses, journalists, security guards, and cleaners. The number of men was large, and the army brought a huge truck to transport them.

Their hands were tied with plastic ties and their eyes were blindfolded, and the soldiers began pulling them violently as if they were pulling dogs. I saw all of this with my own eyes because the reception door was still open. Afterwards, the men were forced to board the truck, and the army closed the reception door, leaving only three doctors and three nurses from the medical staff, while the rest were taken to an unknown destination.

At 6 AM, the Israeli soldiers brought a weapon and photographed Dr. Hossam Abu Safia next to it, then informed him that this was “the weapon found in the hospital.” Later, the Israeli army informed us that they would withdraw from the hospital and told us that we could move freely inside it. The soldiers withdrew from all departments, and the entire army left. This was on October 24, 2024, after a terrifying night of violations and assaults against the medical staff and patients.

At 8 AM, the shelling was intense, and it seemed that it was to secure the army’s withdrawal. At exactly eight o’clock, there were no more soldiers or officers inside the hospital. After those events, Kamal Adwan Hospital began receiving large numbers of wounded and injured from all directions. Our numbers were small compared to the number of injured arriving, which made providing first aid a very exhausting and difficult matter. Over time, the hospital’s conditions gradually began to stabilize, and residents began returning to their homes, as the area became relatively safer.

In mid-November, during the second siege, Kamal Adwan Hospital was besighed at 12 AM. Inside the hospital was an Indonesian medical delegation, and the shelling continued non-stop, while tanks surrounded the place, and quadcopter drones hovered in the sky, while the bodies of the martyrs were scattered around the hospital.

At that moment, the Indonesian delegation was evacuated by an ambulance after coordination with the IOF. At 6 AM, a captured young man arrived at the hospital, looking frightened and showing signs of beatings. He informed us that the Israeli army had sent him to inform us of the need for all the displaced to leave the hospital, with the medical staff and the wounded remaining, as each wounded person is allowed only one companion.

The displaced left with the prisoner, while we remained besieged inside the hospital without seeing any soldiers. The siege continued until 4 PM. After the siege was lifted, large numbers of wounded began arriving, and there were more than 70 martyrs around the hospital. The hospital was drowning in blood, amidst a tiring medical effort to try to save as many of the injured as possible.

In late November 2024, a quadcopter drone dropped a bomb that targeted Dr. Hossam Abu Safia, which resulted in his injury in the foot and damage to the nerve, which made him dependent on a crutch to walk. During that period, the influx of wounded to the hospital continued in large numbers, amidst continuous shelling and daily violations.

The phrase that was always circulating among us was: “We will die soon,” as there was no moment of safety, as the IOF shelled the vicinity of the hospital, and targeted doctors and nurses with sniper fire from windows, stairs, and roofs.

In December, the IOF shelled the intensive care unit, which led to its complete burning, and caused many wounded and martyrs. The fires continued to be directed at us from all directions, while military robots besieged the hospital, moving and exploding unexpectedly, causing widespread destruction. These robots, which are controlled remotely, did not have soldiers in them, and their primary function was destruction.

The IOF threw wooden boxes around the hospital with drawings of skulls and an X mark on them, as a kind of intimidation, which made everyone think they were explosives, but when some of them approached, it became clear that they were empty. We used to hear daily between 6 to 7 explosions of these robots, and each explosion was like a disaster.

In the midst of this terror, the Israeli military coordinator was repeatedly contacting Dr. Hossam Abu Safia to force him to evacuate the hospital, but he insisted that it was a medical facility that could not be evacuated. But they continued to pressure, using threats and manipulation, and each time the call made us feel a new terror. On December 26, 2024, one of the military robots arrived in front of the hospital, and used the loudspeaker to inform us of the need to evacuate the place immediately.

On the morning of December 27, 2024, at 5 AM, the walls of Kamal Adwan Hospital shook to the sound of artillery shelling. The shells hit the maintenance department, and shrapnel flew in all directions, and soon the sounds of screams and calls for help rose. The Israeli airplanes were flying over our heads, raining shells on the hospital yard and its surroundings. In those difficult moments, the soldiers entered and began issuing orders through loudspeakers, demanding that we evacuate the hospital completely.

At 6 AM, the soldiers called out for Dr. Hossam Abu Safia and ordered him to evacuate the hospital completely. At that time, we all left, doctors, nurses, and the injured, those who were able to move despite their wounds. But some of the injured were unable to leave, their injuries were so severe that they were unable to move. They remained there, amidst the smell of blood and death, and only four nurses remained who decided to stay by their side.

Marching under the threat of tanks

We left the hospital on foot, surrounded by tanks from all sides, and the voices of soldiers echoed in the place. I was carrying the doctors’ belongings and some of my belongings, walking with heavy steps, overwhelmed by a feeling of panic. We walked under tight security, directly in front of the tanks, while the muzzles of the guns were pointed at us, as if any wrong move could mean death.

We arrived at the yard of the al-Farid Hall by 6:30 AM, the yard was filled with tanks, jeeps, and soldiers, and their numbers were huge. More than 400 young men were forced to strip completely naked, until the ground was filled with their clothes, which increased the horror of the scene. The yard turned into a huge, terrifying camp, and we were surrounded from all sides under the threat of weapons, amidst a state of extreme fear and anxiety.

Forcing Women to Remove Their Hijabs

At 7 AM, the Israeli army sent a young captive, who was receiving orders from Israeli officers inside the tank. He approached me and informed me that the army wanted us to remove our hijabs and expose our heads. I was the spokesperson for the women, and I looked at him steadfastly and said, “We will not remove our hijabs, even if it costs us our lives.”

The young man returned to inform the officers, but they sent the request again. Then they tried more, asking those under the age of twenty to remove their hijabs, and when we refused, they said, “Then, those under the age of fifteen.” Each time he returned to us with the request, we responded with a firm refusal.

The pressure did not stop there, as the soldiers asked to take the children under the pretext of photographing them. The mothers refused and clung to their children, refusing to let them go with the soldiers, despite the increasing threats.

Calling Female Doctors and Nurses for Interrogation

After that, the Israeli army requested 20 female doctors and nurses to come out and identify themselves, promising to release all the women if they complied. I and 19 of my colleagues came forward and lined up, carrying our personal cards, unaware of what awaited us. They led us to the Al-Fakhura school, and as soon as we crossed the school gate, we found ourselves in the midst of dozens of tanks and soldiers spread in every corner, as if the place had turned into a huge military barracks. We entered one by one into the interrogation room, I was the fourth in the line.

It was almost 9 AM when a soldier pushed me towards the school bathroom, where the interrogation of women was taking place. Inside, there was an officer and two soldiers, watching me with savage looks. The officer took my ID, then pushed me hard, causing me to fall to the ground. I almost hit a metal bar, but it didn’t touch me. He looked at me with resentment and said coldly, “Take off your clothes.” I felt my body trembling, and the ground shaking under my feet. I did not answer. He then suddenly pulled my jacket off violently, threw it on the ground, and ordered me to lift my clothes for inspection. I refused, so he slapped me hard on my face. My cheek burned with pain, and I was afraid he would repeat it. I could not bear it any longer, so I was forced to lift my blouse, revealing my stomach and back in front of them, in a humiliation I had never tasted before. They were not satisfied with that, but the officer ordered me to lower my pants. I lowered it a little, then he turned me around in a brutal way while the two soldiers searched me. They found nothing, but that did not deter them from continuing to humiliate me. The officer asked me for my mobile phone, and I told him that I did not have one. He did not believe me, so he slapped me again harder, until I felt my head spinning. He got closer to me, grabbed my neck with all his might, I felt suffocated, barely breathing, and his eyes narrowed with anger. He was tall and burly, and he seemed to enjoy seeing me weak and helpless. He finally left me, giving me a stern look, then ordered me to leave. I came out of the bathroom quickly, trembling, putting on my clothes with trembling hands, while my face was pressed against the wall, and I knelt on the ground. I heard his harsh voice shouting, “Whoever moves, dies!” I was trembling, but I composed myself and left.

The Shock of Interrogation and Fear of Assault

When I entered the interrogation room, I was shocked by what was happening. I never imagined that there would come a day when I would be interrogated as a nurse in the midst of war. I knew that there was a possibility that I would be beaten or killed, but this was not the most I was afraid of. The real fear haunted me from something else… from rape and assault. I had heard a lot about their past actions, about women who were violated by soldiers, and I prayed to God that I would not be one of them. Their looks were dirty, full of contempt and degradation. They deliberately made obscene gestures, as if they wanted to instill terror in me before they uttered a single word. When the interrogation was over, I came out confused, scared, my hands still trembling. I returned to my colleagues, barely able to speak, and one of them approached me and asked me in a worried voice, “What did they do to you?” Before I could answer, the sound of a soldier pulling the parts of his weapon rang out, then he shouted angrily, “Shut up!” As ten o’clock approached, the officer returned the IDs to us, but he did not hand them to us with his hands, but threw them at our feet, as if they were worth nothing. They forced us to return to the yard of the Al-Farid Hall, where we had left our belongings.

I returned with my colleagues, and I wondered what had happened to them. I later learned that all the nurses and doctors were interrogated, searched, and beaten. There was no exception, we were all victims of this humiliating scene. But I also noticed that some women were not searched, perhaps because they were not wearing clothes that indicated their work in the medical field, or because they were not considered a priority for the soldiers. At that moment, I did not feel comfortable or safe despite the end of the interrogation. We were still surrounded by soldiers and tanks, threatened at every moment.

The Displacement Journey Under Threat and Bombardment

At 2:00 PM, we were informed by the Israeli army that women must move and follow the military jeep. The women complied and began walking. 

We continued walking until we reached Al-Halabi Roundabout, where disaster struck. Quadcopter drones dropped bombs on the gathering, and the scene was horrific—dead bodies and injuries everywhere. There were around 30 people, most of them children, many of whom were wounded by the bombing. My only option was to escape. A cart drawn by a donkey approached, and I was carried on it, continuing my journey of displacement to Suedi Al-Shati, where I sought refuge at my brother’s house. All I could think of at that moment was: when will this nightmare end?