DaysofPal – Gaza’s Government Media Office has accused Israel of committing war crimes by seeking to dismantle and expel the health system from Gaza City, warning that the planned evacuation of hospitals would deprive more than a million residents, half of them children, of their most basic right to medical care.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, the office condemned Israeli threats to invade Gaza City and to force the transfer of patients, medical staff, and equipment to the south, describing the move as “a crime targeting the remaining necessities of life.”
“The occupation has destroyed the health system in Gaza and the north, causing hospitals to cease operating at full capacity,” the statement read.
“We categorically reject any move to transfer hospitals or empty the city of its health services, and we call on the international community to take urgent action to strengthen the health system and equip Gaza’s hospitals to provide care to all patients and the injured.”
The media office also rejected Israeli claims that the European Hospital in Khan Yunis could replace facilities in Gaza City such as Al-Shifa and the Baptist Hospital. Officials stressed that the hospital itself had been heavily damaged during the war and would require at least six months of rehabilitation, including rebuilding its infrastructure, restoring equipment, and replenishing medical staff, before becoming functional.
“Targeting the health system represents a flagrant violation of international law and requires immediate action to protect civilians,” the statement said.
According to Israeli Army Radio, local and international teams have already begun repairing the European Hospital as part of a broader plan to relocate Gaza City’s healthcare system to the south.
The hospital lies in eastern Khan Yunis, an area Israel intends to keep under permanent military control, raising fears that patients’ access will be restricted. Israeli forces are currently paving access roads from the overcrowded Al-Mawasi area, where residents are being relocated under evacuation orders.
As part of preparations for the takeover of Gaza City, the Israeli occupation army has warned hospitals to evacuate patients and staff. Gaza’s health authorities, however, have rejected the orders, saying the plan amounts to the deliberate dismantling of healthcare for more than 1.3 million residents of Gaza City.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health condemned the decision, warning that stripping Gaza City of its hospitals would put thousands of wounded, sick, and vulnerable people at risk of death.
The ministry stressed that dismantling what remains of Gaza’s shattered health network is not a logistical adjustment but an intentional act of destruction. “The occupation’s decision would deprive more than a million people of their right to treatment and put the lives of residents, patients, and the wounded at imminent risk,” it said.
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