GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP – The last functioning hospital in the North Gaza governorate has been completely evacuated after an Israeli military order, its director announced, plunging the region into an even deeper humanitarian catastrophe. The forced closure of Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia on Thursday evening leaves the entire northern part of the besieged enclave without a single operational medical facility, severing a critical lifeline for hundreds of thousands of people already facing dire conditions.
Dr. Mohammed Salha, the director of Al-Awda Hospital, told the BBC that patients and staff were evacuated under duress after “two weeks of siege” and direct threats from Israeli forces. “We’re really sad that we evacuated the hospital, but the Israeli occupation forces threatened us that if we didn’t evacuate, they would enter and kill whoever is inside,” Dr. Salha said in a voice note to the BBC. “Or they would bomb the hospital. We were thinking of the lives of patients and our staff.”
According to Dr. Salha, the hospital endured “a lot of bombing and shooting from the tanks” throughout Thursday. He received a call from Israeli forces around 1:00 PM local time ordering the evacuation. Initially, he refused, citing the critical condition of patients, and offered to remain with a small team. However, the military reportedly rejected this proposal, insisting on a full evacuation. After seven hours of tense negotiations, the evacuation of patients began around 8:30 PM, with staff carrying patients over 300 meters to ambulances due to heavily damaged roads.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the hospital’s closure and underscored the severity of the situation. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that “the closure of al-Awda meant there was no remaining functioning hospital in the North Gaza governorate, severing a critical lifeline for the people there.” He reiterated the WHO’s plea for the protection of hospitals, staff, and patients, emphasizing that “hospitals must never be attacked or militarized.”
Al-Awda Hospital had been operating under immense strain, located within an evacuation zone announced by Israel last week. A statement from 18 charities on Thursday highlighted that the hospital had been under military besiegement “for the fourth time since October 2023 and has been struck at least 28 times.” Previous damage included hits to the emergency room, injuring four staff, and the destruction of the desalination plant and storage unit, leading to the loss of medicine and supplies.
The Israeli military has not yet directly commented on the evacuation of Al-Awda Hospital. However, they previously stated they were “operating in the area against terror targets” and were “not aware of any siege on the hospital itself.” The IDF had issued evacuation orders for areas including Jabalia Al-Balad, where the hospital is located, on Thursday evening.
The closure of Al-Awda Hospital further cripples Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA reported on Thursday that “ongoing hostilities over the past two weeks have damaged the hospital, disrupted access, and created panic, deterring people from seeking care.” While some primary healthcare centers remain partially or fully functional across Gaza, OCHA did not specify how many, if any, are in the north Gaza governorate.
Patients from Al-Awda were evacuated to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which itself has faced severe damage and repeated Israeli raids throughout the conflict. Dr. Salha indicated plans to provide services through a primary health center in Gaza City and potentially establish another in a shelter, but these options offer only a fraction of the comprehensive care previously available.
This latest development marks a tragic milestone in the ongoing crisis, leaving a population besieged and vulnerable with no access to essential hospital services in their immediate vicinity. The international community continues to voice alarm over the collapsing healthcare infrastructure and the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.