On Wednesday, three hospitals in Gaza appealed for humanitarian corridors as the Palestinian health officials stated that they’re on the verge of collapse in the face of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas.  The three hospitals-Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda, and the Indonesian hospitals, are now being denied evacuation, and medical staff won’t leave their patients even if Israeli soldiers want them to. Medical workers have refused to leave their patients despite the Israeli military evacuation orders issued several days ago with the start of a major operation in the Jabalia area of the Gaza Strip.

“We call for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor from international organizations, the International Red Cross, and the World Health Organization to support the healthcare system,” said director of Kamal Adwan Hospital Hussam Abu Safiya. “300 medical staff to cannot even fulfill their own basic needs-food and the like-while continuing to maintain services for  patients,” he explained.

Jabalia, home to one of Gaza’s historic refugee camps, was initially cleared by Israeli forces, but Hamas fighters have re-established themselves in the area. According to Palestinian health officials, the renewed Israeli offensive has killed around 350 people in Jabalia and nearby areas. On Wednesday, an airstrike in Gaza City killed 13 people, raising the toll of the previous 24 hours to 65 dead across Gaza.

The worsening humanitarian situation has drawn world concern, and the U.S., which is Israel’s largest military supporter, has issued a stern warning that Israel needs to take the conditions in Gaza into consideration; otherwise, it risks halting its military aid. However, senior Hamas official Basem Naim, speaking from Istanbul, expressed skepticism about the U.S appeal for aid.

At the same time, Washington continued supplying Israel billions of dollars in weapons and security assistance, making only “tactical adjustments” in its demands.

Israel claims to have killed more than 50 Palestinian fighters in the recent days through airstrikes and ground battles as it continues to pursue the expulsion of Hamas forces from the northern Gaza region. It has been repeatedly requesting civilians to move southward, and this has raised some suspicions in the Palestinian mind that the evacuation is part of a grander scheme meant to permanently make the northern region free for a full Israeli control. Such claims have been denied by Israeli officials, who claim that the evacuation orders are merely in an attempt to save civilians and distance them from the activities of militants.

Despite Israel’s denials of enforcing a supply restriction, the northern Gaza hospitals’ medical workers are complaining of severe shortages in food, medicine, and other consumables.  At the Indonesian Hospital, for example, nurse Hadeel Obeid says food and drugs are in very short supply.  Patients, doctors, and nurses receive just a single inadequate meal daily.

According to the Israeli military, 50 trucks carrying food, water, medical supplies, and equipment for setting up shelters provided by Jordan were transferred to northern Gaza on Wednesday.  Despite these deliveries, however, needs far outweigh the supplied items since hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians remain in the area.

The conflict is now in its fourth week, fueled by tensions initiated by an attack on Israel on October 7 by Hamas, killing 1,200 and taking around 250 hostages.  So far, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been reported killed by the Israeli offensive, according to Gaza health authorities, as continuing fighting and besieging intensify an already dire humanitarian crisis, which does not seem to be resolvable anytime soon.

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