Health authorities in Gaza have rejected an Israeli army directive to evacuate hospitals in Gaza City and move patients and staff to facilities in the south ahead of a threatened military offensive. Munir Al-Barsh, a senior official at the Gaza Ministry of Health, said medical teams would remain in place and continue providing care despite the risks. Bashar Murad, who oversees health programs at the Palestine Red Crescent Society, said the organisation will not evacuate its Gaza City hospitals, including Al-Quds and Al-Saraya, warning that the territory’s health system is on the brink of collapse and that moving patients is increasingly impractical. Al-Shifa Hospital staff have similarly vowed to stay, and Dr. Fadel Naeem, director of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, said overcrowding makes evacuation impossible. The Gaza Ministry of Health said compliance with the Israeli order would deprive more than a million residents of access to medical care and endanger patients already wounded in weeks of fighting. The standoff underscores the strain on Gaza’s medical infrastructure, much of which has been damaged or destroyed during the conflict.