Full-scale Rafah invasion appears imminent - Doctor recounts mass evacuation from besieged al-Awda Hospital

al Jazeera: 

Israel’s war on Gaza live news: Full-scale Rafah invasion appears imminent

By Alastair McCready and Zaheena Rasheed

Published On 23 May 202423 May 2024

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26m ago

 (03:55 GMT)

Doctor recounts mass evacuation from besieged al-Awda Hospital

Israeli troops, who placed al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza under sieged, have forced dozens of doctors, nurses and paramedics to leave the facility.

Al Jazeera spoke with Doctor Marwan Fwaihi as he evacuated the area on foot. Here’s his account:

“We were at the hospital as usual. We never left at all. We never even thought of quitting on our patients and the wounded people.

“Four days ago, we were taken by surprise when the Israeli military besieged the hospital. They would not allow anyone inside. We stayed to care for the lives of our patients.

“We had 14 patients who we continued to give medical care to. Then today at 3 o’clock, the Israeli army forced nearly all of us from the hospital. The patients remained inside, with four medical staff and two paramedics to care for them.

“All of us have been ordered to leave the hospital and keep walking towards west Gaza. We are walking until we reach a safe area and find shelter.

“We want to reach a safe place and to shelter the medical staff who remained in al-Awda Hospital since October 7 until now. They never left, and now their homes are destroyed and they have nowhere to go.”