As Israeli artillery shells rain down and gunfire erupts, Palestinian medics are beginning to evacuate premature babies and other patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia refugee camp. The Israeli military is conducting its third ground offensive in the area since the conflict in Gaza ignited, claiming to target regrouping Hamas fighters preparing to launch attacks.
Health officials in Gaza report that two other local hospitals are nearly inaccessible and facing evacuation orders. In recent days, dozens of casualties have been reported in northern Gaza. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency announced that its first responders recovered the bodies of 15 individuals following an Israeli strike on a makeshift camp for displaced people adjacent to the al-Yemen al-Saeed Hospital.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it targeted “terrorists operating within a command-and-control centre embedded in a medical compound” in Jabalia, emphasizing measures taken to minimize civilian harm. Additionally, the Civil Defence reported five fatalities from a strike on a family home within the camp, which housed over 110,000 registered residents before the conflict.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), warned that shelters and services are being forced to close due to a lack of basic supplies, exacerbating hunger in the region. He also expressed concern that the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza is at risk.
Residents have described their harrowing experiences. Ahmed Leki, a 50-year-old father from the Falluja area of Jabalia, stated, “I have been displaced more than 10 times… Where can we go? We have small children, and there’s no safe place in Gaza, not a single safe inch.”
New evacuation orders have been issued by the Israeli military, affecting a wide area in northern Gaza, including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and parts of Gaza City. The approximately 400,000 people remaining in northern Gaza have been instructed to move south.
Bilal al-Amreeti, a local resident, lamented, “Displacement is extremely difficult, a tragedy. There is no transportation, no necessities for survival. Men, women, and children ask, ‘Where do we go?’ and the answer is, ‘I don’t know.’”
Despite Israeli assurances, many residents fear that the military aims to depopulate northern Gaza, potentially transforming the area into a closed military zone or a Jewish settlement.