Patients, Refugees Flee From Hospital In Central Gaza Over Potential Israeli Attacks
The evacuation comes in response to Israeli orders for residents to leave nearby regions, with indications that a potential ground operation is imminent in a town that has largely avoided the conflict’s worst impacts.
One of Gaza’s remaining operational hospitals has been rapidly emptying in recent days as Israeli forces advance toward the area.
The evacuation comes in response to Israeli orders for residents to leave nearby regions, with indications that a potential ground operation is imminent in a town that has largely avoided the conflict’s worst impacts.
AP reports that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza’s primary medical facility, is facing significant concerns despite not being subject to an evacuation order by the Israeli military.
Patients and those taking refuge there worry about the potential of the hospital becoming a battleground or target of an attack.
On Monday, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis resulted in the deaths of at least 19 people, according to local officials. Additionally, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah resumed across the Lebanon border.
Throughout the ongoing 10-month conflict, Israeli forces have invaded several hospitals in Gaza, alleging their use by Hamas for military purposes, a claim Palestinian health officials dispute.
Currently, Israeli evacuation orders cover about 84% of Gaza’s territory.
The UN estimates that about 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, many multiple times.
The evacuation orders have diminished the humanitarian zones initially established by Israel and forced more Palestinians into these areas.
Thousands are now crowded into tent camps along the beach, where aid organizations report severe shortages of food, clean water, and increasing disease.
On Monday, AP reporters witnessed people fleeing the hospital and surrounding areas, many on foot. Some transported patients on stretchers or carried belongings, while others moved personal items like clothes and blankets. Four local schools were also being evacuated.
Adliyeh al-Najjar, outside the hospital gate, expressed concern about access to medicine and safe places for patients. Fatimah al-Attar, heading towards the tent camps, lamented their grim fate and lack of refuge.
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted that since Friday, Israeli evacuation orders have impacted more than 8,000 people across 19 neighborhoods, including key humanitarian centers and the Al-Aqsa hospital.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that an explosion near the hospital on Sunday exacerbated panic, leading the organization to consider suspending wound care while attempting to maintain essential treatments.
Before evacuation orders, the hospital was treating over 600 patients, with around 100 remaining, including those in intensive care and the children’s ward.
The Israeli military stated that its operations in Deir al-Balah aim to target Hamas infrastructure and that evacuation orders were intended to protect civilians.
