WHO Urges Full Evacuation as Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza Declared a "Death Zone" amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

On Sunday, November 19, Gaza's largest hospital, Al-Shifa, was described as a "death zone" by the World Health Organization (WHO), prompting a call for a full evacuation. This assessment followed a visit by WHO and other UN officials to the hospital, which had been raided by Israeli troops earlier in the week in pursuit of Hamas militants.

A Hamas health official reported that over 80 people were killed on Saturday in twin strikes on a northern Gaza refugee camp, including a UN school sheltering displaced people. While the Israeli army did not explicitly mention the strikes, it stated that an "incident in the Jabalia region" was under review.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, expressed shock at the "horrifying images" from the incident, with Egypt condemning the bombing as a "war crime" and "a deliberate insult to the United Nations."

Another strike on Saturday in Jabalia camp resulted in the death of 32 people from the same family, including 19 children, according to Hamas health authorities.

Israel, responding to attacks on October 7, has pledged to destroy Hamas, claiming approximately 1,200 casualties, mostly civilians, and about 240 hostages. The ongoing air and ground campaign has reportedly killed 12,300 people, over 5,000 of them children, according to the Hamas government.

Six weeks of fighting have displaced 1.6 million people within the Gaza Strip, and Israel announced the expansion of its operational activities in additional neighborhoods. Al-Shifa hospital has been a recent focus, with Israeli forces alleging Hamas uses it as a command center—a claim denied by the group and medical staff.

The WHO reported a "death zone" at Al-Shifa, with nearly 300 patients and 25 health workers left inside. Urgent plans for their evacuation are being developed, but nearby facilities are already overstretched. The WHO called for an immediate ceasefire due to the "extreme suffering of the people of Gaza." On Saturday, hundreds of people evacuated the hospital on foot following orders from the Israeli army, according to the facility's director.