Palestinians flee as Israel orders evacuation of besieged Nasser Hospital
Al JazeeraWitnesses say Israel fired on the largest health facility in southern Gaza, which has been under siege for weeks. Dozens of Palestinians have been seen leaving the besieged Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis after Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of the complex, but health officials say thousands, including critically ill patients, remain inside. The Israeli military – which used drones and loudspeakers to tell people to leave Nasser Hospital – said it opened “a secure route” to allow civilians to exit, while medics and patients could remain inside. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the city of Rafah on Wednesday, said Israeli forces have been setting up checkpoints along the road leading to Nasser medical facility as they force people to flee. “Some people, exposed to Israeli fire, were forced to return back again to the medical facility.” Earlier, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said Israeli forces destroyed one of the main gates of the facility.