Israel orders new evacuations in southern Gaza, prompting transfer of hospital patients

The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders on Monday for areas in southern Gaza including eastern Khan Younis and Rafah, forcing residents – many of whom were already displaced – to seek shelter elsewhere in what signals the possibility of another ground operation.

The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders on Monday for areas in southern Gaza, including eastern Khan Younis and Rafah. This forced residents, many already displaced, to find new shelter, due to the suggestion of the possibility of another ground operation. The Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, one of the territory’s last standing hospitals, is within the evacuation zone. It has transferred patients, including those in intensive care and babies in incubators, and medical equipment to other facilities “in fear of bloodshed,” according to the hospital’s deputy director and doctors. “It’s a chaotic scene and very difficult and dire,” Dr. Saleh al Hams, deputy director of Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, told CNN. This is his third evacuation, he said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesday that staff at the hospital have performed more than 3,000 surgeries, treated hundreds of burn cases and provided physical rehabilitation to wounded people. “An ICRC team stayed in the hospital overnight, however the hospital is now unable to continue functioning effectively because so many staff members have evacuated, including medical, nursing, administration and support staff.” The ICRC said they would now move their team and patients to the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah-Mawasi and, once conditions allow, staff will return to EGH and continue to work there.