Israel has reportedly warned the al-Quds hospital in Gaza to evacuate immediately, an order which the head of the World Health Organisation called "deeply concerning".
The Palestinian Red Crescent said on Sunday it received the warning from Israeli authorities as raids have been taking place 50 yards away from the hospital since this morning.
“We reiterate - it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives. Under International Humanitarian Law, healthcare must always be protected,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of WHO, posted on X.
It comes after Palestinian officials reported the death toll since the war broke out hit 8,000, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the “next stage of war” had begun. The Gaza death toll includes over 3,000 children, according to the health ministry.
After Israel’s three-week blockade of food, water, electricity and fuel into Gaza, thousands of civilians broke into aid warehouses overnight, taking wheat flour and other basic survival items like hygiene supplies.
The UNRWA has warned this “is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down”.
