The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it had allowed a number of people to evacuate from the Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip via a safe route, and that medical personnel will remain at the facility to assist patients who are unable to evacuate.

"This morning, the IDF acceded to the request of the director of the Shifa Hospital to enable additional Gazans who were in the hospital, and would like to evacuate, to do so via the secure route," the IDF said in a statement on Telegram.

The Israeli military said that the hospital's medical staff would remain at the facility "to support patients who are unable to evacuate," according to the statement.

At the same time, the IDF rejected that it had ordered any evacuation of the Shifa hospital, the statement read.

"At no point, did the IDF order the evacuation of patients or medical teams and in fact proposed that any request for medical evacuation will be facilitated by the IDF," the statement added.

(With UNI Inputs)