Gaza City, Gaza Strip - July 10, 2024

[WARNING: sensitive content/images of blood]

Medical workers and patients in Gaza City are hastily evacuating from hospitals after Israeli forces expanded their evacuation order to the whole of the city on Wednesday, further deteriorating an already dire healthcare crisis in the embattled enclave.

The Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City closed its doors on Tuesday after the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of an entire neighborhood in the Old City.

Doctors in the hospital had to transfer dozens of wounded patients within a limited time frame as the hospital was under imminent threat of bombings.

"The army asked us to evacuate the area, especially the Baptist Hospital. I was surprised to see many casualties arriving at the hospital until it was filled with the wounded, but the entire hospital was evacuated after that and there were no nurses or doctors left in it," said Moatasem Abu Asr, a Palestinian eyewitness.

Although the Israeli army denied the need to evacuate hospitals, attacks targeting Gaza's healthcare entities continued to take place, according to Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran.

"Most of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are out of service, including the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The number of hospitals that have stopped service so far has reached 24 out of 38 hospitals in the Gaza Strip," he said.

The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem, which runs the evacuated Baptist Hospital in Gaza, strongly condemned the hospital's forced closure, saying in a statement the move will increase the suffering felt by Palestinian patients.

The medical staff had to use the prayer hall in the church adjacent to the hospital to care for wounded and displaced people.

"The Al Ahli Arab Hospital, which has been receiving a large influx of patients with limited capacities and has been surviving shortages of medical supplies, human capacities and fuel was also pushed out of service after the medical team had to move the patients to other hospitals in northern Gaza city," said Hisham Muhanna, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza.

The ongoing Israeli military operations in residential neighborhoods in Gaza have brought the enclave's already overwhelmed healthcare system to the verge of collapse.

SHOTLIST:

Gaza City, Gaza Strip - July 9-10, 2024
1. Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital exterior;
2. Various of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital interior, empty beds, bloodstains on floor;
3. Various of ambulances evacuating patients;
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Moatasem Abu Asr, Palestinian eyewitness:
"The army asked us to evacuate the area, especially the Baptist Hospital. I was surprised to see many casualties arriving at the hospital until it was filled with the wounded, but the entire hospital was evacuated after that and there were no nurses or doctors left in it.";
5. Various of tents;
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran:
"Most of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip are out of service, including the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City. The number of hospitals that have stopped service so far has reached 24 out of 38 hospitals in the Gaza Strip.";
7. Various of church turned hospital;
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Hisham Muhanna, spokesman, International Committee of Red Cross in Gaza:
"The Al Ahli Hospital, which has been receiving a large influx of patients with limited capacities and has been surviving shortages of medical supplies, human capacities and fuel was also pushed out of service after the medical team had to move the patients to other hospitals in northern Gaza City.";
9. Various of beds, chairs at church.

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