Thousands of displaced people and patients, many of whom are in critical condition, have no access to ambulances or transportation.
Israeli forces gave doctors, patients and displaced people at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital an hour to evacuate the medical compound on Saturday, causing “great panic and fear,” Al Jazeera’s Youmna ElSayed reported.
A medical source in al-Shifa told Al Jazeera that evacuation was “impossible” as the facility, which has been bombarded and besieged by Israeli troops for days, houses around 7,000 people, including patients who are in critical condition .
“They don’t have ambulances to take the patients and premature babies to the south [of Gaza]said ElSayed, reporting from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
“This is what he called ‘a crisis,’ asking them to evacuate within an hour.”
Patients in al-Shifa include at least 300 patients, some or most of whom are in serious or critical condition, as well as thousands of displaced families.
This also includes “at least 35 premature babies who have already been outside their incubators for eight days due to lack of oxygen and electricity,” ElSayed said. There were 39 babies left without an incubator; Four died late on Friday and five are now seriously ill, our correspondent added.
“Due to the lack of fuel, there are no transportation options in Gaza City and the northern parts. People are therefore expected to evacuate on foot. And the doctors tell us that it is impossible to evacuate on foot with so many people.”
The Israeli army ordered people to evacuate via al-Rashid Street, “not the usual road or route that people evacuating south should take, but usually via Salah al-Din Street.” ElSayed said.
“The Israeli army has not provided them with any other solutions, no means of transportation, no fuel for ambulances or cars to take these patients, premature babies and displaced families to the south as ordered,” she added.
The hospital has been without food, water, electricity and oxygen for at least a week while Israeli troops and tanks have raided the facility in recent days.
Israel claimed that Hamas had a command center beneath the hospital, but found no evidence to support this claim. Hamas and hospital staff have consistently rejected Israeli claims.
This is a developing story. Continue.