1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Israel, 'Anti-Semitism', Zionism and US-UK allies
  4.  » 
  5. 7/10 - Gaza War
  6.  » Israeli troops order evacuation of hospital ‘in the next hour’ over loudspeakers – AFP

The Guardian – Nov 18, 2023

Israeli troops ordered the evacuation of al-Shifa hospital “in the next hour” over loudspeakers on Saturday, an AFP journalist at the scene reported, as troops combed the facility for Hamas hideouts.

Al-Shifa hospital – Gaza’s biggest – has become the focus of the Israel-Hamas war, now entering its seventh week after the October 7 attacks on southern Israel.

Israel claims Hamas operates a base underneath al-Shifa, a charge the militants deny. The United Nations estimated 2,300 patients, staff and displaced Palestinians were sheltering at Al-Shifa before Israeli troops moved in on Wednesday.

The Hamas health ministry in Gaza has announced dozens of deaths there as a result of power cuts caused by fuel shortages amid intense combat. Israel has made repeated calls for the hospital to be evacuated to the south, however medical professionals say the patients cannot be moved.

The hospital director, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told AFP Israeli troops instructed him to ensure “the evacuation of patients, wounded, the displaced and medical staff, and that they should move on foot towards the seafront”.

Source

Israel Denies ordering evacuation of al-shifa

In a post on X, the Israeli army spokesperson denied ordering the excuation of al-Shifa, saying the “IDF responded to the request of the director of Shifa Hospital to allow Gazan citizens who were sheltering in the hospital and who wish to evacuate from Shifa Hospital towards the humanitarian crossing in the Gaza Strip via a secure axis”.

Mohammed Zaqout, the director-general of hospitals in Gaza, reiterated to Al Jazeera: “I categorically deny these false allegations [from the Israeli army] … I am telling you we were forced to leave by gunpoint.”

Patients, staff and war evacuees ‘leaving al-Shifa hospital’

The Guardian – Nov 18, 2023

Health officials say many patients, medical staff and those displaced by the ongoing war have left Gaza’s largest hospital, which was taken over by Israeli forces earlier in the week.

Palestinian officials and the Israeli military offered conflicting versions about what prompted the mass exodus from al-Shifa hospital, AP reported.

Health officials say they received an evacuation order from the military on Saturday morning, while the military said it had offered safe passage to those hoping to leave.

Before the departure, several thousand people, including medical patients in serious condition, were trapped in al-Shifa in dire conditions.

Source