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The last functioning hospital in northern Gaza is no longer operational according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) - a day after staff reported Israeli troops had surrounded the site.
The WHO said Al-Awda Hospital went out of service on Thursday, and patients and health workers evacuated the same evening for fear of their safety.
It said that the hospital’s closure is “severing a critical lifeline for the people” in northern Gaza, and pleaded “for the hospital’s protection and staff and patients’ safety”.
Israeli authorities issued evacuation orders last week for large parts of northern Gaza ahead of offensives against Hamas, although the army did not order the hospital itself to evacuate.
Dr Rami al Ashrafi told the Associated Press on Thursday that Al-Awda Hospital had been encircled by Israeli troops and had come under fire in recent days.
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Tower destroyed by strike in Gaza
Gaza situation ‘worst since war began’ – UN
It comes as the United Nations said on Friday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is the worst since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023 – despite a resumption in aid deliveries.
Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that while “any aid that gets into the hands of people who need it is good,” the deliveries have so far had “very, very little impact”.
He added: “The catastrophic situation in Gaza is the worst since the war began.”
The UN and other international aid groups have refused to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – supported by Israel and the US – as they claim it is not neutral and forces the displacement of Palestinians by its distribution of aid.
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Source: https://news.sky.com/story/last-hospital-in-northern-gaza-out-of-service-after-evacuation-13377203
