In a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has allowed the evacuation of Shifa Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. The decision followed a request by the hospital's director and aimed at ensuring the safety of patients and medical teams amidst the intensifying clashes.

Contrary to reports by Al Jazeera claiming that the IDF ordered the full evacuation of the hospital within one hour, the Israeli military clarified that it did not request the evacuation of patients or medical teams. The evacuation is being carried out solely at the hospital director's request. The IDF also expressed its willingness to cooperate with any further requests for medical evacuation.

To facilitate the evacuation process, Israeli forces granted time for those who wished to leave the hospital to do so through a secure humanitarian crossing. The IDF reiterated its commitment to coordinating and facilitating the evacuation of patients and medical teams whenever such requests are made, ensuring their safe transfer to other hospitals.

However, it is important to note that medical teams will continue to remain in Shifa Hospital to provide necessary medical care to those patients who are unwilling or unable to evacuate. The IDF remains committed to safeguarding the well-being of all civilians caught in the conflict and will continue to assist in the provision of medical services.

In related news, the IDF announced that five soldiers were killed during the fighting in the northern Gaza Strip over the weekend. The fallen soldiers were identified as Capt. Eden Provisor, Staff-Sgt. Shlomo Gurtovnik, Staff-Sgt. Shachar Fridman, Maj. Jamal Abbas, and Staff-Sgt. Adi Malik Harb. The IDF also released the name of Master-Sgt. David (Dudi) Digmi, a paramedic who was killed on October 7.

The IDF's operations have recently shifted towards the Zeitun and Jabalya neighborhoods in central Gaza City, which are expected to hold sizable Hamas forces. These areas have been targeted due to their strategic significance, including the presence of the command and control center of Hamas's northern Gaza brigade.

In another development, IDF reservists from the 16th Jerusalem Brigade successfully eliminated a Hamas terrorist cell on Friday after they were identified firing rockets from the roof of a building. Additionally, a residential building in Sderot sustained damage from a rocket barrage targeting the Gaza border town. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The conflict between the IDF and Hamas continues to escalate, resulting in an increasing number of casualties and destruction. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is under the control of Hamas, raised the civilian death toll to over 12,000, including 5,000 children. These numbers, though deemed credible by the United Nations, are updated infrequently due to the challenges in collecting accurate information in the conflict zone.