Human Rights Watch has highlighted that satellite imagery shows there are “several fires” along the main route those seeking refuge at Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital can use to reach the “safe passage” advised by Israel.

In a post on X, it said “civilians in the hospital and its vicinity cannot use al-Rashid coastal road either to flee as satellite imagery from Nov 7 showed “Israeli armoured vehicles and a roadblock 2km southwest of the hospital on that road, and armoured vehicles 2km northeast of al-Shifa” hospital.

The HRW stated, ’Civilians who remain in place after an evacuation warning — including those who can not leave, fear moving, or do not want to be displaced — do not lose their protections as civilians under the laws of war.

“No area is a free-fire zone.”