The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders on Monday for areas in the southern Gaza Strip, including eastern Khan Younis and Rafah. This forced residents, many of whom have already been displaced, to seek new shelter due to the possibility of another ground offensive.

The European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, one of the last functioning hospitals in the sector, is located within the evacuation area. Patients, including those in intensive care and babies in incubators, along with medical equipment, were transferred to other facilities "for fear of bloodshed," according to the hospital's deputy director and doctors.

Dr. Saleh Al-Hamass, deputy director of the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis, told CNN, "It is a chaotic and extremely difficult and horrific scene, noting that this is his third evacuation operation."

The International Committee of the Red Cross stated on Tuesday that hospital staff performed more than 3,000 surgeries and treated hundreds of burn cases and provided physical rehabilitation for the injured.

"The International Committee’s team remained in the hospital throughout the night, but the hospital is now unable to continue operating effectively due to the evacuation of many staff members, including medical, nursing, administrative, and support personnel."

The committee announced that it will now transfer its team and patients to the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah-Al-Mawasi, and once conditions allow, staff will return to EGH and continue work there.

It added that thousands of Palestinians have been displaced following the evacuation orders issued by the Israeli army, emphasizing that "there is no safe place" in Gaza.

Another ground operation in Khan Younis would highlight the difficulties the Israeli army faces in its attempt to eradicate the presence of Palestinian militants from Gaza. Israeli Defense Forces withdrew their ground troops from the city in April after months of intense fighting that resulted in significant destruction. After more than eight months of war, Hamas continues to hold dozens of Israeli hostages and launch rockets into Israel.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Monday that the Israeli army is advancing towards the "end of the elimination phase" of Hamas's military in Gaza and will "continue to strike its remnants." He pledged that Israel will achieve its goals in the war: the return of hostages held in Gaza and the eradication of Hamas's military and governmental capabilities.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced that about 20 rockets were fired from the Khan Younis area towards Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip on Monday, adding that it hit targets in the area from which the rockets were launched.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement announced on Monday that it had launched "guided missiles" at five Israeli towns near the Gaza border.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported on Monday that the emergency room at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis was overcrowded with the injured after patients were transferred from the European hospital following an Israeli military evacuation order for the Al-Fukhari area. The Red Crescent stated that the hospital also received patients from Nasser Hospital, which has also become overcrowded with patients from the European hospital.

In a separate statement, hours after the initial evacuation order, the Israeli army said that the order "does not apply to patients in the European hospital or the medical staff working there."

The Israeli army's statement added: "There is no intention to evacuate the European hospital."

Videos posted on social media showed patients being transferred on stretchers in nearby streets after the order was issued.

On Tuesday, Louise Waters, spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), currently in Gaza, reported a "massive" movement of people from evacuation areas following the Israeli army's latest order. The agency expects that around 250,000 people will leave evacuation areas after the latest order.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes and shelling continued in Khan Younis, resulting in the deaths of at least eight people and injuries to 32 others during the night, according to Nasser Hospital.

Water desalination station

The city of Khan Younis has a water desalination plant managed by the United Nations, which supplies the city, in addition to Deir el-Balah and Mawasi, where dozens of displaced Palestinians reside.

Clean water supplies in Gaza have significantly decreased after desalination plants were forced to close following the blockade imposed by the Israeli army after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli agency responsible for coordinating with the Palestinian territories, and the Israeli army stated in a joint statement on Tuesday that Israel will directly connect a new power line to the desalination plant in Khan Younis to raise drinking water production to 20,000 cubic meters from 5,000.

The United Nations estimated late last year that the average water consumption in Gaza had fallen to three liters per person per day. The World Health Organization recommends, in emergencies, at least 7.5 to 15 liters of water per person per day for survival and hygiene.