Thousands of displaced people and patients, many in critical condition, have no ambulances or access.
A medical source told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces have given doctors, patients and displaced persons at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza an hour to evacuate the premises.
Bombed and besieged by Israeli troops for days, the facility, which houses about 7,000 people, including critically ill patients, is “impossible,” the doctor said.
“They don’t have any ambulances to transfer patients and premature babies to the south [of Gaza],” Al Jazeera’s Youmna Elsayed reported Saturday from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
“He called it ‘a crisis’ to ask them to leave in an hour.”
Among those in al-Shifa are at least 300 patients, some or most of whom are in serious or critical condition, as well as thousands of displaced families.
“This includes at least 35 premature babies who have already been out of incubators for eight days due to lack of oxygen and lack of electricity,” Elsayed said. There were 39 babies left without incubators; Four died late on Friday and five are now critically ill, our correspondent added.
“There is no transport in Gaza City and the northern areas due to lack of fuel, so people are expected to leave on foot. Doctors tell us that it is impossible to evacuate so many people on foot.
The Israeli army advised people to evacuate via Al-Rashid Street, “which is not the street or route that people exiting south usually take, they usually take Salah Al-Din Street,” Elsayed said.
The hospital has been without food, water, electricity and oxygen for at least a week, while Israeli troops and tanks have been raiding the facility for the past two days.
Israel claimed a Hamas command center was located beneath the hospital, but found no evidence to support its claim. Hamas and hospital staff have always rejected the Israeli claims.
This is a growing story. More to follow.
