ALBAWABA - Israeli forces have reportedly compelled the evacuation of patients and the injured from Al-Shifa Hospital, as per Palestinian media sources.
The forced evacuation began on Saturday, with Israeli forces utilizing loudspeakers and direct communication with the hospital director, Mohammed Abu Salim, ordering the evacuation of all individuals, including patients, the injured, displaced persons, and medical staff. The directive instructed them to proceed on foot towards the seashore.
Earlier statements from the head of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza revealed that Israeli forces had communicated the need to evacuate the entire complex, encompassing employees, patients, and the wounded. Despite a prevailing atmosphere of panic and extreme fear, medical personnel asserted their commitment to remain with patients until evacuation.
As the occupation-imposed deadline lapsed, the hospital still harbors patients, injured children, nurses, and doctors who find themselves unable to leave or transfer patients beyond the hospital premises. The situation is on edge, awaiting potential further actions by Israeli forces against the vulnerable population within the hospital.
This distressing development follows a nine-day siege on Al-Shifa Medical Complex by Israeli forces, resulting in the destruction of vital medical equipment and tragic casualties among injured individuals and malnourished children. Israeli airstrikes and artillery targeted multiple buildings within the complex, including the deliberate destruction of the old cardiac department building on the western side.
