The last remaining hospital in North Gaza, al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, has ceased operations after an Israeli military order forced its immediate evacuation on Thursday evening. Dr. Mohammed Salha, the hospital’s director, confirmed that patients and staff were evacuated after what he described as “two weeks of siege.”

“There is now no health facility working in the north,” Dr. Salha told the BBC. He said Israeli forces had threatened to bomb the hospital or kill anyone inside if it wasn’t vacated. Attempts to negotiate a partial evacuation were rejected, and after hours of pressure and shelling, hospital staff began carrying patients over 300 metres to ambulances due to destroyed roads.

Video footage sent to the BBC showed staff and patients leaving al-Awda under tense conditions, with some boarding lorries and ambulances amid the rubble. The patients have been transferred to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not responded to media inquiries. In earlier statements, the IDF denied besieging the hospital but admitted to targeting “terror activity” in the area.

The World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called the hospital’s closure a critical blow. “This severs a lifeline for people in the north,” he said, reiterating that hospitals must never be militarized or attacked.

Humanitarian groups say al-Awda had been targeted at least 28 times since October 2023. The facility’s emergency room, desalination plant, and storage unit were damaged in the strikes, wiping out essential supplies and medical equipment. Eighteen NGOs reported that the hospital had been under siege four times since the war began.

As of now, only 61 of Gaza’s 158 primary healthcare centres remain partially or fully functional. Nine out of 27 UN health facilities are still operating, though the status of those in North Gaza is unclear.

Meanwhile, ceasefire talks continue. Hamas says it is reviewing a US-brokered proposal reportedly accepted by Israel. The plan suggests a 60-day pause in fighting, release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and increased humanitarian aid. But Hamas insists the deal falls short of its core demands, including a commitment by Israel to end the war.

US President Donald Trump said Friday he believed a deal was “very close,” but Israel’s operations have continued. At least 72 people were killed in airstrikes over the past 24 hours, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Aid distribution has also been mired in controversy. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by Israel and the US, claims to have delivered food supplies, but major aid agencies have declined to collaborate, citing ethical concerns. Doctors Without Borders described the initiative as “ineffective,” noting the most vulnerable have virtually no access to it.

UN officials also condemned the looting of aid from a field hospital in Deir al-Balah by armed individuals. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the stolen supplies were meant for malnourished children.

The UN says Gaza’s 2.1 million residents face a “critical risk” of famine. OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke called it “the hungriest place on earth.” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher accused Israel of employing “forced starvation” as a weapon of war.

Israel insists it is not imposing a humanitarian blockade and blames Hamas for obstructing aid. But international pressure is mounting. French President Emmanuel Macron warned of tougher action if humanitarian access does not improve “in the coming hours and days.”

Israel’s war in Gaza began after a Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Since then, at least 54,321 people have been killed in Gaza, according to local health officials.

Chioma Kalu

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