The Israeli army withdrew from Al-Shifa Medical Complex

The Hamas Ministry of Health announced that “the Israeli army withdrew from Al-Shifa Medical Complex,” the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, days after storming it and warning most of the sick and displaced people there to evacuate.

The Israeli army stormed the hospital for the first time on November 15, after accusing Hamas of using it as a cover for military installations and leadership centers, something the movement strongly denies. When the raid occurred, the United Nations estimated the number of people in the complex, located west of Gaza City in the northern besieged Strip, at about 2,300 people, including patients, medical staff, and displaced persons.

After evacuations and a warning from the Israeli army to evacuate the complex, the number of people there was “about 100 patients and medical staff,” according to World Health Organization spokesman Christian Lindmeier.

The World Health Organization explained that the last convoy that left Al-Shifa Hospital transported on board “73 patients and seriously injured people, 18 kidney patients, 26 people with hemiplegia, eight who suffer from chronic diseases, two who need emergency care, and 19 patients in a wheelchair.”