By Aysu Bicer
LONDON (AA) – Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including Al-Aqsa hospital in the face of increasing Israeli army attacks.
Though the international medical care organization said in a late Saturday statement that it was having difficulty evacuating staff and their families from Gaza, it also said it was leaving even from Al-Aqsa hospital.
"It is with heavy conscience that we have to evacuate while patients, hospital staff, and many people seeking safety remain in the hospital premises," Carolina Lopez, the emergency coordinator at Al-Aqsa hospital, said in a statement on X.
"Yesterday, at 13:30, a bullet heavily penetrated a wall in Al-Aqsa hospital’s intensive care unit. Over the last couple of days, drone attacks and snipers fire were just a few hundred meters from the hospital."
The decision was made following an evacuation order issued by Israeli forces through flyers dropped from the air in the neighborhoods surrounding the hospital.
The situation took a dire turn when a bullet heavily penetrated the wall of Al-Aqsa hospital's intensive care unit on Friday, the MSF said.
The hospital, which serves as the only functioning medical facility in Gaza's Middle Area, has been subjected to drone attacks and sniper fire, with incidents occurring mere hundreds of meters from its premises in recent days.
"The situation became so dangerous that some staff living in the neighboring areas were not able to leave their houses because of the constant threats of drones and snipers," Lopez emphasized.
MSF underscores that, under international humanitarian law, Israel must protect patients and staff in the hospital.
The organization has fervently called for a sustained cease-fire, highlighting the urgency of preventing further deaths and injuries in the conflict-ridden region.
“No one and nowhere is safe in Gaza. MSF continues to urgently call for a sustained ceasefire to prevent more deaths and injuries,” Lopez added, emphasizing the critical need for an immediate cessation of hostilities to safeguard the lives of those still in harm's way.