The Israeli army denies that it ordered patients and medical staff to evacuate al-Shifa Hospital, Al Jazeera reports.

“It should be emphasised that at no point did the IDF ask to evacuate patients or medical teams,” reads a statement from the military.

The army claimed instead that it “responded to the request of the director of Shifa Hospital” to allow those sheltering in the medical facility and who wished to evacuate to leave through “a secure axis”.

The army “even suggested that whenever there is a request to coordinate a medical evacuation, we will work to facilitate it and transfer the patients to other hospitals”.

The statement was in stark contrast to accounts provided to Al Jazeera by the hospital’s supervisor, a health official and a doctor. They said they received a one-hour deadline for evacuation and were forced to leave.