The director of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has warned that all of its aid operations in Gaza will soon stop because of a lack of fuel in Gaza.
Aviv Tel Aviv Despite assurances from Israeli forces that injured and ill patients might travel south, medical professionals’ attempts to evacuate several of Gaza’s largest hospitals seemed to be failing on Monday, according to physicians.
Additionally, due to a shortage of fuel in the beleaguered enclave, the director of UNRWA, the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees, has issued a warning that all of its relief operations in Gaza may soon “grind to a halt”.
Medical professionals at Al-Shifa Hospital reported that they were unaware of anyone leaving the institution on Sunday, even though Israeli forces had promised to launch an evacuation effort.
With the sounds of gunfire and explosions outside, Dr. Nidal Abu Hadrus, a neurosurgeon at Al-Shifa, told NBC News that it was hard for people to flee. There have reportedly been “intense battles” near the site, according to the IDF.
“It is not secure to vacate. Staying here is not safe. We’re at a loss on what to do,” he uttered. “Please lend a hand.” He claimed that hospital staff had requested assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross in order to enable hospital worker evacuations.
The International Committee of the Red Cross’s Alyona Synenko stated that talks were in progress but that she was unable to offer any precise information regarding the evacuation operations.
“Evacuating a hospital is an extremely risky and extremely complex enterprise,” she stated. “We can’t just, you know, go and like, through the bullets, through the fighting and pick up people in life support and move them.”
“We need to be realistic about what can be accomplished in the current circumstances,” she stated, characterizing the state of affairs as “tough and annoying.” “It’s heartbreaking to be receiving those calls and not being able to respond to them,” she stated.
Abu Hadrus expressed concern about what would occur if assistance is delayed. He remarked, “I’m not sure that we will be able to move out of the hospital after one or two more days because I don’t know who will remain alive.”
Instead of focusing on civilians, Israeli military officials claim they are chasing Hamas, which they claim hides in tunnels throughout Gaza, including beneath hospitals and particularly beneath Al-Shifa. However, both Hamas and hospital staff have refuted these claims.
Because of the intense fighting in the area, NBC News correspondents on the ground are unable to report from the hospitals.
Although Israel has called for “pauses” in hostilities for humanitarian purposes and has been pressuring the Palestinians to evacuate the north for weeks, the southern path is hazardous and many have lost their lives en there. Furthermore, Israel’s offensive has resulted in bombing of the southern Gaza region.
Moving wouldn’t be safe, according to surgeon Dr. Marwan Abusada, who also serves as the Health Ministry’s chief of international relations at Al-Shifa Hospital.
In a phone call on Monday, he stated, “No one comes in. No one leaves.” He claimed that if hospital staff members go outdoors, they fear being shot.
Despite the IDF’s announcement that it would open an evacuation corridor from the hospital to southern Gaza in response to a request from Al-Shifa staff to assist in the evacuation of 36 babies who were in danger of dying after the deaths of three other infants, according to Palestinian health officials, Abusada said he was not aware of anyone leaving the hospital over the weekend.
Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, announced on Saturday that the staff at Al-Shifa hospital requested assistance to move babies from the pediatric department to a safer location. The IDF planned to establish evacuation routes from not only Al-Shifa but also from two other medical facilities in Gaza City, Al-Rantisi and Al-Nasr hospitals.
By Sunday night, according to Hagari, both Al-Rantisi and Al-Nasr hospitals were evacuated, to the IDF’s knowledge.
On Monday, the Israeli military charged Hamas with using the basement of Al-Rantisi hospital to detain hostages after the attack on October 7. In a video, Hagari, speaking from a room he claims is inside Al-Rantisi hospital, stated that the Israeli military believes this location was once used to hold hostages.
In the video, Hagari highlights items such as a baby bottle and diapers. He also shows what seem to be explosives, hand grenades, RPGs, and a motorcycle with what looks like a bullet hole. He suggests these could be linked to the attack.
The authenticity of the video and the IDF’s allegations have not been independently confirmed by NBC News.
The World Health Organization reported that 600 patients were still at Al-Shifa hospital as of Monday.
When asked about the progress of evacuations at Al-Shifa and hospital staff’s unawareness of any evacuations, an IDF spokesperson did not give a direct answer. Instead, they mentioned on early Monday that the army was involved in “intense battles” with Hamas near the hospital but clarified that the hospital itself was not a target.
‘Relentless bombardment’
There was also a growing sense of desperation at the Al-Quds Hospital, when an evacuation convoy from southern Gaza was forced to turn around, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
The hospital is located in Tel Al-Hawa, where there is a perilous situation and constant bombardment, PRCS added.
As it released footage purporting to show someone outside the facility brandishing an RPG launcher, the IDF declared that a “terrorist squad embedded itself in the area of the Al-Quds.” According to the IDF, soldiers were targeted by small weapons and RPG fire coming from the area of Gaza City’s Al-Quds Hospital. They also claimed that a tank had been damaged.
The IDF claimed that militants took refuge in the hospital after firing RPGs but did not present video proof of this. According to them, their forces retaliated by firing towards the origins of the attack, resulting in the death of “approximately 21 terrorists.”
Contradicting this, the Palestine Red Crescent Society refuted claims of “armed individuals firing projectiles from inside Al-Quds Hospital.” They argued that the IDF’s video clearly depicted armed persons approaching from the street, with Israeli tanks positioned near and using the hospital as a shield, thus putting medical staff and patients at risk.
The Society insisted that no armed persons were inside the hospital, nor were any shots fired from within it. They emphasized that only patients, their families, and medical personnel were inside the hospital.
Amidst the ongoing conflict near Al-Quds, the Crescent Society raised concerns that those taking refuge in the hospital, including patients and medical workers, were without food, water, or electricity.
