Palestine Red Crescent says it vacated Al-Quds Hospital

RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Palestine Red Crescent said Tuesday that it was able to vacate Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City.

“It was a challenging and perilous day. Today, we managed to evacuate the patients, the wounded, their families and the medical teams trapped in Al-Quds Hospital, compelled by the tragic situation that had befallen the hospital,” it said on X.

It said the move came “after more than 10 days of siege, during which medical and humanitarian supplies were prevented from reaching the hospital.”

As the hospital had become a threat to the lives of everyone inside due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment around it and firing upon those inside, in addition to a complete power outage and the depletion of water and food for the patients, it became impossible to continue providing the necessary medical care under these conditions, it added.

The patients were being transferred to hospitals in southern parts of the Gaza Strip, it said, adding those hospitals are already suffering from fuel shortages and a scarcity of medicines and medical supplies.

On Sunday, the Red Crescent announced that Al-Quds Hospital would be out of service due to running out of fuel and a power outage.

It also announced early Tuesday that the only power generator at its Al-Amal Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip had stopped working.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 7,750 women and children, and around 29,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings including hospitals, mosques and churches have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at 1,200, according to official figures.