Al-Shifa Hospital forced to evacuate under Israeli orders
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"Israel" forces the medical staff, thousands of displaced Palestinians, and patients, many in severe condition, to evacuate Al-Shifa Hospital on foot.
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A mother and her child were forced to evacuate their home following an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi mosque in Gaza City on Oct. 9. (AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that supervisors at Al-Shifa Hospital have verified that forced evacuations have now begun, while a large number of wounded people and 5 doctors will remain in the hospital, knowing that the medical teams have no nowhere to go and are indispensable.
Our correspondent reported that the scenes inside and outside the hospital are unprecedented and horrifying, shedding light on another crisis represented by the challenges of evacuating the wounded due to the severity of their conditions and with no alternative hospitals or safe shelters to head to.
He further noted that the hospital does not have any ambulances to transport the patients and premature babies to the southern part of Gaza, adding that many patients were rushingly placed on wheelchairs or rolling beds.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that the premature babies are still in the hospital and it is trying to contact the Red Cross concerning them.
Premature babies are facing dire conditions due to the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, which led to their incubators going out of service and the cessation of other critical services in many hospitals due to power outages, fuel scarcity, and oxygen depletion.
Family members were compelled to carry their injured children or parents themselves as they marched on foot, as per our reporter.
It is worth noting that the invading Israeli forces have not supplied any means of transportation or fuel for ambulances or any vehicles to transfer patients, premature babies, and displaced families during the forced evacuation.
Head of the orthopedic department at Al Shifa Hospital Dr Faisal Siham painfully describes the israeli siege on the medical complex @QudsNen pic.twitter.com/2r6w15AmGF
— Sarah Wilkinson (@swilkinsonbc) November 17, 2023
Our reporter also confirmed that a large number of evacuees left the hospital toward al-Wihda Street.
On its account, the Ministry of Health has appealed to the international community to intervene and halt the aggression against Al-Shifa Hospital, highlighting an unfolding catastrophe.
He added that among those who left the hospital are elderly individuals who are unable to continue the journey southward. The displaced individuals will cover a lengthy distance toward Deir al-Balah, where car movement is restricted.
Our correspondent highlighted that the most intense shelling last night was taking place in Gaza, resulting in a preliminary count of approximately 110 martyrs in the north and south.
IOF give Al-Shifa Hospital one-hour ultimatum to evacuate
Earlier, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that the Israeli occupation forces have forewarned the administration of Al-Shifa Hospital of the need to evacuate the hospital of employees, patients, and the wounded.
This foreboding coincided with the IOF bulldozing operations in the eastern areas of the hospital.
An AFP journalist at the scene reported that the IOF warned the medical staff and patients over loudspeakers to "evacuate the within an hour."
Furthermore, the hospital's director, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, told AFP that he was called by the IOF and instructed to ensure "the evacuation of patients, the wounded, the displaced and medical staff, and that they should move on foot towards the seafront."
It is worth noting that the press office of the authorities in Gaza has announced that over 12,000 people have died as a result of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, 5,000 of whom were children.
Read next: Factchecked, again: ‘Israel’ lied, Al-Shifa Hospital is not Hamas HQ
