The director of Shifa Hospital, the biggest health center in the Gaza Strip, announced that Israeli soldiers had ordered the evacuation of the hospital within an hour. Following the order, an emergency room officer said that he and others were forced to leave the hospital by Israeli forces under harsh conditions and that the scenes inside and outside the hospital were terrible.
Munir El Barsh, Director General of the Ministry of Health, said there were 120 patients out of 450 and 5 doctors left behind, but they were promised to be taken care of by a UN committee. His statement also included that Israel told everyone leaving the hospital to wave white handkerchiefs and walk in a single row, and that the patients were humiliated by the soldiers along the way.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed that patients and medical staff were not instructed to evacuate the hospital and that they were provided a “safe route” upon “the request of the Director of Shifa Hospital.” The claims were later denied by Zaqout.