UN's World Health Organization has said Nasser hospital, the last major hospital in Southern Gaza, has ceased to function in the wake of a raid by Israeli forces.
The medical staff inside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis told The Independent about the intense fighting around the hospital as the Israeli forces broke inside the complex on Thursday.
WHO Says Nasser Hospital 'Not Functional'
On Thursday, Israel Defense Force (IDF) troops stormed the complex, saying intelligence said that Hamas was holding captives inside. The IDF claimed that the operation in Nasser is precise and limited, and it has accused Hamas of hiding in hospitals and using civilians as shields.
WHO head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Nasser hospital in Gaza is not functional anymore after a week-long siege followed by the ongoing raid.
Ghebreyesus added that the WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs despite reaching the hospital compound to deliver fuel alongside partners.
He reported that there are about 200 patients in the hospital, and at least 20 still need to be urgently referred to other hospitals to receive healthcare, noting that medical referral is every patient's right.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, only four medical staff were left at the hospital to take care of the remaining patients.
An anonymous insider told BBC News that 11 patients had died due to disruptions in the oxygen and electricity and that several doctors had been detained.
However, the IDF claimed that no one died as a result of its activities, adding that its soldiers had been ordered to maintain the hospital's operations. It said that a temporary generator was operating and that supplies of oxygen and diesel had been brought to the site.
Furthermore, there has been intense fighting at the Nasser site for weeks. Israel said that schools and hospitals are Hamas's operational bases.
The military claimed that about 20 Hamas fighters had been killed and several weapons had been taken in the area of the hospital.
The IDF said that dozens of terrorists were eliminated, and large quantities of weapons were seized over the past day.
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KHAN YUNIS, GAZA - DECEMBER 25: A Palestinian injured in Israeli airstrikes is brought to Nasser Medical Hospital on December 25, 2023 in Khan Yunis, Gaza. The United Kingdom, France and Germany are the latest countries to call on Israel to reach a "sustainable truce" after more than two months of war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that left 1,200 dead and around 240 taken hostage. In Israel's retaliatory air and ground offensive, nearly 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls for a ceasefire, saying last week that "military pressure is necessary both for the return of the hostages and for victory."
World Leaders Support Gaza Ceasefire Deal
In recent days, efforts have been made in Cairo to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas despite the ongoing violence in Gaza.
Sheik Mohammed said at a meeting of world leaders at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that the pattern in the last few days is not very promising. However, as she always repeats, they will remain optimistic.
According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the negotiators were sent by US President Joe Biden. However, he said that they did not return for further talks because Hamas's demands were "delusional."
The group has outlined several demands, including the exchange of Israeli forces for Palestinian prisoners, full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and an end to the war following a 135-day ceasefire, broken into three phases.
Furthermore, Netanyahu reaffirmed that the Israeli government is pushing forward with its invasion of Gaza further south, taking in the area of Rafah, despite the international pressure to hold off advancing its ground invasion without first having the plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians who fled there during the early stages of the conflict.
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