The Israel Defense Forces said it launched an operation Friday in the area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, where the hospital’s director said troops set fire to parts of the facility after ordering evacuations and arresting some of the medical staff — an account that the IDF disputed.

Staff at a hospital in northern Gaza say the building has been surrounded by Israeli forces and they are being ordered to evacuate along with all patients, after reports of a nearby airstrike that the local health ministry said killed about 50 people.

Eid Sabbah, head of the nursing department at Kamal Adwan hospital, told the BBC that at about 07:00 on Friday, the military gave the administration 15 minutes to evacuate patients and staff into its courtyard.

The IDF denied any of its troops had entered the facility or set fire to it and accused the militant group Hamas of using the facility for cover. View on euronews