One of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza is emptying as Israeli troops approach
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip | One of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza has emptied in recent days after Israel ordered the evacuation of surrounding areas and hinted at a possible ground operation in a town that has been largely spared throughout the war, officials said on Monday.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah is the main hospital in central Gaza. The military has not ordered an evacuation, but patients and people seeking refuge there fear it could become caught up in fighting or become the target of an Israeli attack.
Israeli forces have raided several hospitals during the 10-month war and accused Hamas of using them for military purposes. Palestinian health authorities have denied these allegations.
According to the United Nations, Israeli evacuation orders now cover around 84 percent of Gaza. The United Nations estimates that around 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced from their homes. Many have been displaced multiple times and have had to flee with what they can carry. Hundreds of thousands of people have crowded into overcrowded tent camps along the coast, where there are few or no public services.
Associated Press reporters saw people fleeing the hospital and surrounding area on Monday, many of them on foot. Some pushed patients on stretchers or carried sick children, while others carried bags of clothing, mattresses and blankets. Four schools in the area are also being evacuated.
“Where do we get medicine?” asked Adliyeh al-Najjar as she rested outside the hospital gate. “Where should patients like me go?”
Fatimah al-Attar fought back tears as she left the hospital grounds toward the tent camps. “Our fate is death,” she said. “There is no place we can go. There is no safe place.”
Doctors Without Borders, an international aid group with the French acronym MSF, said an explosion on Sunday about 250 meters from the hospital sparked panic and accelerated the exodus.
“For this reason, MSF is considering suspending wound care for the time being while trying to maintain life-saving treatment,” said Platform X.
The hospital said it had treated more than 600 patients before the evacuation order, which applies to residential areas about a kilometer away. About 100 patients are still in the hospital, including seven in intensive care and eight in the pediatric ward.
The Israeli military said it was engaged in operations against Hamas in Deir al-Balah and was working to destroy what infrastructure remained there. It said the evacuation orders were issued to protect civilians and did not include surrounding hospitals or medical facilities. It said it had also informed Palestinian health authorities that the facilities did not need to be evacuated.
Although the army exempted hospitals from previous evacuation orders, patients and others have still fled, fearing for their safety.
The war began when Hamas-led militants crossed the border into Israel on October 7 and attacked military bases and farming communities. The attack killed around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and the militants abducted around 250 people as hostages and took them to Gaza.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the Israeli retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians and caused severe destruction across much of the territory. Hamas still holds about 110 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to be dead, after most of the rest were released under a ceasefire last year.
Israel continues to launch attacks on Gaza while the US, Egypt and Qatar try to broker a permanent ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. Despite months of high-level negotiations, major gaps remain.
Hospitals repeatedly became battlefields, both literally and in the competing narratives surrounding the war.
Israel says Hamas and other militants are hiding in hospitals, which also serve as shelters for thousands of displaced people, and using them for military purposes. The army has raided several medical facilities since the war began and has provided some evidence that militants were in some of them. Medical personnel deny the allegations and accuse the army of reckless disregard for civilians.
Hospitals can lose their internationally protected status if they are used for military purposes. However, any measures taken against them must be proportionate and aimed at protecting the civilian population.
According to the World Health Organization, only 16 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially functional, although they treat victims of Israeli airstrikes on a daily basis. Difficulties in importing and distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza have led to widespread hunger and disease outbreaks, putting additional strain on the health sector.
Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
