Hundreds of displaced Palestinians taking refuge in Nasser Hospital began evacuating on Wednesday, carrying what few belongings they had. Israeli forces said the evacuation order did not apply to patients or staff.
Nasser is the last remaining large hospital in the Gaza Strip after Israeli forces besieged, then raided al-Shifa hospital in central Gaza, underneath which the Israeli military claimed to have "found evidence of a tunnel complex used by Hamas militants."
In an audio message sent to the Financial Times by a nurse at the Nasser compound, women could be heard weeping over the sounds of gunfire and an Israeli military loudspeaker delivering instructions. The nurse, who wants to remain anonymous, said that evacuees-- including elderly and some wounded-- were being held at a checkpoint.
As reported by the Financial Times and according to the UN, Gaza's health system is collapsing, with severe shortages of basic medical supplies and equipment. Medics are being forced to carry out amputations without anesthesia.
The World Health Organization estimates that only 11 hospitals are left partially functioning in Gaza, none of which are as large as Nasser. About 22 have shut down, while three field hospitals in southern Gaza remain operational.
Israeli bombardment in the territory had been making its way to Nasser Hospital for weeks, said Jacob Burns, a project coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières, who worked at the hospital until early January.
Even then, he said, "conditions were very, very difficult, with a frequent influx of the wounded, coming to emergency rooms where there were no beds, and patients on the floor, and doctors working in difficult conditions."
The Israeli military alleges Khan Younis is the main target and the operation will soon be expanded to Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah. Roughly 1.4 million Palestinians, over half of the territory's population, are jammed into makeshift camps pushed against the border fence shared with Egypt, reported The Associated Press.
The Israeli operation, one of the deadliest and most destructive air and ground offensives in recent history, has devastated Gaza's health sector, with less than half of its hospitals even partially functioning as an excess of people are killed and wounded in daily bombardments. Israel continues to accuse militants of using hospitals and other civilian buildings as hideouts.
What Have The Last Five Months Done?
The Gaza Health Ministry said Israeli snipers on surrounding buildings were preventing people from entering or leaving the hospital last week.
Around 300 medical staff were treating an estimated 450 patients, including those wounded in strikes. Approximately 10,000 displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the facility.
At least 28,576 Palestinians have been killed, many of whom are women and children.
This number includes over 100 bodies brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours alone. Over 68,000 people have been wounded in the war, including around 11,000 in need of evacuation for urgent treatment.
80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, large areas in northern Gaza have been destroyed, and a humanitarian crisis has left a quarter of the population starving.
As a close and complicit ally of Israel, the United States has provided "crucial" military and diplomatic support to Israel. The U.S. is also working with Qatar and Egypt to try and broker a ceasefire. The proposal includes the return of the remaining 130 hostages.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swears to see the war through until "total victory" over Hamas.
