Hundreds flee hospital in southern Gaza after Israel orders evacuation

It was unclear where those leaving the complex could find safety, as the Israeli army has often bombed areas in Gaza that it had previously said were safe. Israeli leaders have also vowed to invade Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, which is home to more than a million people.

At the hospital, a number of medical staff were packing their belongings and preparing their families for the flight.

“We are all afraid,” said Dr. Mohammad Abu Moussa, a radiologist at Nasser. He added that while he was concerned about an attack on the hospital, he and his wife had made the difficult decision to stay put for the time being. They and their two surviving children – a third was killed in an airstrike in October – have been hospitalized for weeks.

“I have no other choice,” said Dr. Abu Moussa. “I can't go anywhere in Rafah, and I have young children and they can't walk such long distances.”

Hanin Abu Tiba, 27, an English teacher sheltering in the hospital, described the dire conditions inside, with food running out and aid convoys virtually unable to deliver supplies. In text messages that night, she said she saw an Israeli military vehicle outside the hospital gate.

“I'm terrified of leaving the hospital and being shot,” she said. But inside the complex, she said, “the electricity is out and water and canned food are running low. We don't know what to do.”

According to the Health Ministry, the Israeli army has stormed other hospitals in Gaza and detained medical staff during the four-month war.

“We are very concerned about the situation developing at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis,” said medical aid group Doctors Without Borders. said on social media Wednesday. It called on the Israeli Defense Forces “to ensure the safety of all medical personnel, patients and displaced persons.”

Rawan Sheikh Ahmad And Aaron Bokserman reporting contributed.