Protest at historic Paris hospital condemns Israeli evacuation orders for Gaza hospitals

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) – France’s historic Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris became the site of a protest on Sunday as pro-Palestine supporters demonstrated against Israeli evacuation orders for hospitals in northern Gaza.

Organized as a silent protest, demonstrators gathered both outside and inside the hospital, holding banners with messages such as "Solidarity with healthcare workers under blockade. Patients are in danger," "Israel is killing Palestine’s healthcare workers," and "There is a massacre in Gaza; healthcare workers will not remain silent." Participants carried Palestinian flags, wore lab coats splattered with red paint, and covered their faces with masks, some draping Palestinian keffiyehs over their shoulders.

In a written statement, the protesters called attention to the critical conditions in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have issued evacuation orders for three hospitals this week. The statement emphasized that, with limited resources, patients cannot be evacuated safely, warning that displacement would endanger lives.

The statement highlighted severe shortages of fuel and medicine in Gaza, noting that some healthcare workers are choosing to stay with their patients despite the risks. "The people in northern Gaza are trapped, forced to desperately hide and maneuver to avoid the sniper fire of the genocidal army,” the statement read.

The protest specifically targeted Israel’s hospital evacuation orders and called for international intervention, urging sanctions against Israel and asserting that healthcare workers and patients in Gaza are being deliberately endangered.