The World Health Organization has confirmed it will maintain its presence in Gaza City despite Israeli directives ordering mass evacuations of civilians to the south. The humanitarian hub of the territory, home to roughly a million people, has become increasingly targeted in recent weeks as military operations escalate, raising fears over access to essential health services.

WHO officials warned that the areas designated as “safe zones” lack the infrastructure and capacity to support the displaced, and that any loss of functioning hospitals in the city could prove catastrophic. With nearly half of the remaining medical facilities still located in Gaza City, staff stress that even temporary interruptions can jeopardise critical care, leaving countless vulnerable patients without treatment. The organisation highlighted the urgent need to protect hospitals, medical personnel, and humanitarian workers from the ongoing hostilities.

Amid a protracted humanitarian crisis, residents continue to endure severe shortages of food, water, and medicine while facing relentless bombardment. Calls for immediate ceasefires and international intervention have intensified, as the city struggles to sustain life in conditions that many describe as on the brink of famine. The WHO’s commitment to remain signals both defiance against the evacuation orders and the urgent need to safeguard the fragile health infrastructure at the heart of the territory.