The hospital is an obstacle to Israel’s plan to ethnically cleanse the northern half of the besieged strip, as it is where around 65,000 to 75,000 people have sought refuge.

At least 2,500 Palestinians have been killed and 10,000 others wounded in Israel’s most recent offensive in northern Gaza, while hundreds more have been abducted and thousands forcibly expelled.

Eid Sabbah, the director of nursing at Kamal Adwan Hospital, told Al Jazeera that it was a night “full of horror” at the medical facility.

Israeli bulldozers began surrounding the area around the hospital, destroying streets and infrastructure.

Quadcopter drones also targeted the medical compound and its vicinity.