Two medical aid groups on Sunday announced their withdrawal from a central Gaza hospital, citing increased Israeli military activity in the area.
In a statement, the International Rescue Committee said its emergency medical team was "forced to withdraw" from Al Aqsa Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah after the Israeli military dropped flyers on central Gaza ordering Palestinians to evacuate to "shelters" in the area.
"Given the recent history of attacks on medical staff and facilities in Gaza, the team is unable to return," the IRC said.
The IRC team had provided vital services at the hospital, such as the treatment of trauma injuries, the release said.
“The amount of injuries being brought in over the last few days has been horrific, and with a huge reduction in the number of staff able to come to the hospital there is even less capacity for treating them," said Professor Nick Maynard, a surgeon and clinical lead for the team. "There are patients clearly dying in the emergency department who could be saved if there were enough staff."
CNN is not able to independently confirm this statement.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) also said it was withdrawing from Al Aqsa hospital. It comes after Doctors Without Borders on Saturday said it would evacuate its staff and their families from the facility.
MAP and the IRC said they were "deeply appalled" their teams had to pull out of the hospital and would work to identify alternate locations to provide health care to civilians.
“The dismantling of health services witnessed in the north must not be repeated in the middle and south of Gaza,” the release said.