Crowds of displaced Palestinians were evacuated en masse on Monday from the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza where thousands have been trapped for days.
Over 400 people have been killed in the two-week Israeli military campaign in and around the camp, which has left residents living in “extremely difficult humanitarian conditions,” according to Gaza Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal.
Drone footage shared by the Israeli military showed Palestinians being escorted past the camp’s bombed-out buildings.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the footage showed it “allowing civilians to safely evacuate the area” via organized routes. The IDF said it had arrested several people in the camp suspected of belonging to terrorist groups in an ongoing operation.
However, the UN’s main agency in Gaza, UNRWA, contested the Israeli characterization of the evacuation. It said the Israeli military had “reportedly besieged and forcefully evacuated seven UNRWA schools in Jabalya Camp” which had been serving as a shelter for displaced Palestinians.
“While families were evacuating the school, Israeli forces’ artillery shells directly struck one of the UNRWA schools. Seven people were reportedly killed, and several others were injured,” UNRWA said.
CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
Dr Hussam Abu Safiya described the situation at Kamal Adwan, the only operational hospital in northern Gaza, as “extremely difficult.”
A World Health Organization (WHO) team trying to bring blood and food supplies into the hospital was prevented by the Israeli military from delivering the aid, he added.
Northern Gaza has received virtually no aid supplies since the beginning of the month, compounding the humanitarian crisis.