Patients, staff, and displaced individuals have vacated Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, leaving only a minimal crew behind to attend to the remaining patients too ill to relocate.
Israeli forces took control of the hospital after a raid, asserting the presence of a potential Hamas command center, a claim contested by both the military group and hospital staff.
Despite Israel’s denial of ordering the evacuation, the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza stated that the military mandated the clearing of the facility within an hour. Approximately 120 patients, including those in intensive care and premature babies, remained as a group of dedicated doctors chose to stay behind to care for them.
The destination of those who left the hospital remains unclear, especially given the compromised state of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure. With 25 hospitals non-functional and 11 only partially operational due to fuel shortages, damage, and other issues, the World Health Organization highlights a critical healthcare crisis.
This evacuation coincided with the restoration of internet and phone services in the Gaza Strip, ending a telecommunications blackout that had disrupted humanitarian aid deliveries coordinated by the United Nations.
As Israel expanded its offensive in Gaza City, residents of specific neighborhoods and a refugee camp were urged to evacuate for their safety. Simultaneously, airstrikes persisted in the south, with an Israeli strike on a residential building near Khan Younis reportedly claiming at least 26 lives and injuring 20, according to Dr. Nehad Taeima at Nasser Hospital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing the escalating civilian casualties, expressed the nation’s intent to complete its operation in Gaza with minimal harm to civilians. However, he placed blame on Hamas, labeling it a “theological, mad cult” accused of strategically using Palestinian civilians as human shields.
With much of Gaza’s population seeking refuge in the south, responding to Israel’s evacuation advisories, the region remains entrenched in a complex humanitarian crisis amid ongoing military operations.
