NEW YORK, November 13. /TASS/. Doctors at the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip have refused to evacuate patients defying a demand from Israel, as about 700 patients could die during transportation, CNN reported.

The 700 patients could die if left unattended, or they could die in transit if they are moved elsewhere, Munir al Barsh, general manager for the Palestinian ministry of health in Gaza, told CNN.

He said the evacuation order has not been coordinated with any international humanitarian organizations. The lack of coordination raises concerns about the safety and transportability of so many patients, many of whom are in critical condition and could die, he told CNN.

The television channel asked the IDF to comment on the situation, but the request went unanswered so far, the report said.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7. Hamas regards the attack as a response to Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Israel has declared a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and has started delivering strikes on that area and parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank. Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari on October 27 said the ground operation in the Gaza Strip was expanding.