Final hospital in North Gaza governorate evacuated after Israeli order

The final hospital offering well being companies within the North Gaza governorate is out of service after the Israeli navy ordered its instant evacuation, the hospital’s director has stated.

Dr Mohammed Salha stated sufferers have been evacuated from al-Awda hospital in Jabalia on Thursday night.

He informed the BBC “we’re feeling actually dangerous about this compelled evacuation” after “two weeks of siege”, saying there may be now “no well being facility working within the north”.

Israel has not but commented, however the BBC has contacted the Israeli Protection Forces (IDF).

“We’re actually unhappy that we evacuated the hospital, however the Israeli occupation forces threatened us that if we did not evacuate, they’d enter and kill whoever is inside,” Dr Salha stated in a voice notice to the BBC.

“Or they’d bomb the hospital. We have been considering of the lives of sufferers and our workers.”

Dr Salha informed the BBC the hospital confronted “a whole lot of bombing and taking pictures from the tanks” from round midday native time (09:00 GMT) on Thursday.

He obtained a name from the Israeli forces at about 13:00 to evacuate, and initially refused as a result of there have been sufferers in want of healthcare. He supplied to stick with one other 10 of his workers and evacuate the others, however the navy refused, he stated.

After seven hours of negotiations, the evacuation occurred at about 20:30.

Workers carried sufferers greater than 300 metres (984 toes) to ambulances parked distant from the hospital “as a result of the roads are completely destroyed”.

Two movies despatched to the BBC by al-Awda hospital workers present folks, some sporting vests with the hospital’s title on the again, boarding ambulances and a lorry to the east of the hospital courtyard at sundown, and a convoy of comparable automobiles heading south by way of Jabalia after darkish.

“Resulting from impassable roads” the hospital’s medical tools couldn’t be relocated, the World Well being Group (WHO) stated.

UN humanitarian company OCHA stated on Thursday “ongoing hostilities over the previous two weeks have broken the hospital, disrupted entry, and created panic, deterring folks from searching for care”.

Sufferers have been evacuated to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Metropolis.

Dr Salha informed the BBC they would supply companies by way of a main well being centre in Gaza Metropolis and stated one other could be established in a shelter.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, stated the closure of al-Awda meant there was no remaining functioning hospital within the North Gaza governorate, “severing a vital lifeline for the folks there”.

“WHO pleads for the hospital’s safety and workers and sufferers’ security, and reiterates its name for the lively safety of civilians and healthcare,” he stated. “Hospitals mustn’t ever be attacked or militarized.”

The IDF had ordered evacuations of the areas of Al-Atatra, Jabalia Al-Balad, Shujaiya, Al-Daraj and Al-Zeitoun on Thursday night, spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated on the time on social media.

“Terrorist organisations proceed their subversive exercise within the area, and subsequently the IDF will increase its offensive exercise within the areas the place you might be current to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations,” he stated.

“From this second on, the talked about areas can be thought-about harmful fight.”

Al-Awda hospital was inside an evacuation zone introduced final week, however had nonetheless been functioning, its director beforehand stated.

An announcement from 18 charities on Thursday stated the hospital was below navy besiegement “for the fourth time since October 2023 and has been struck at the least 28 instances”.

The emergency room was hit, injuring 4 workers, and the desalination plant and storage unit additionally struck, resulting in the lack of all drugs, provides and tools, the charities stated.

The IDF informed the BBC final week it was “working within the space in opposition to terror targets”, however that it was “not conscious of any siege on the hospital itself”.

Other than hospitals, some main healthcare centres are nonetheless working in Gaza, with 61 out of 158 partially or absolutely purposeful as of 18 Could, OCHA stated.

9 out of 27 UN Palestinian refugee company well being centres have been additionally functioning.

OCHA didn’t report what number of, if any, centres have been within the north Gaza governorate.

Israel is constant its bombardment of Gaza, which most Palestinians usually are not at the moment in a position to depart, after a two-month ceasefire earlier this yr.

No less than 72 folks have been killed over the previous day, Gaza’s Hamas-run well being ministry stated on Friday.

Israel started to permit a restricted quantity of assist into Gaza final week, after an almost three-month blockade halted the supply of provides together with meals, drugs, gas and shelter.

Scenes of chaos have damaged out at assist distribution centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Basis – a US-and Israeli-backed group.

The UN and lots of assist teams have refused to co-operate with the GHF’s plans, which they are saying contradict humanitarian ideas.

The secretary-general of Docs With out Borders (MSF), Christopher Lockyear, referred to as the plan “ineffective” and stated essentially the most weak have “just about no likelihood” of accessing provides.

GHF stated it had distributed six truckloads of meals on Friday and plans to construct further websites, together with in northern Gaza, within the weeks forward.

Israel stated it imposed the blockade on Gaza to pressurise Hamas to launch the remaining hostages, at the least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. It has additionally accused Hamas of stealing assist, which the group denies.

A UN-backed evaluation this month stated Gaza’s 2.1 million folks have been at a “vital danger” of famine. The UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher informed the BBC folks within the territory have been being subjected to “compelled hunger” by Israel.

Israel is dealing with worldwide stress to permit in additional assist.

French President Emmanuel Macron stated on Friday “we must harden our collective place” if Israel doesn’t do extra “within the coming hours and days”.

Israel’s overseas ministry hit again on social media, saying “there is no such thing as a humanitarian blockade” and accused Macron of continuous a “campaign in opposition to the Jewish state”.

Some protesters in Israel tried to dam assist vehicles from getting into Gaza, with one saying assist shouldn’t be allowed till Hamas returns the hostages and accepts a US-proposed ceasefire.

A Hamas official stated the group was “endeavor a radical and accountable assessment” of the proposal, however it “fails to fulfill” their calls for.

Israel launched a navy marketing campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s cross-border assault on 7 October 2023, through which about 1,200 folks have been killed and 251 others have been taken hostage.

No less than 54,321 folks have been killed in Gaza since then, together with 4,058 since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, in accordance with the well being ministry.

Extra reporting by Naomi Scherbel-Ball and Alice Cuddy in Jerusalem. Verification by Richard Irvine-Brown