Crowded corridors in southern Gaza’s Nasser hospital after it was stormed by Israeli forces
The main hospital in southern Gaza was crowded with patients after Israeli troops stormed it on Thursday, in what the army said was a search for the remains of hostages taken by Hamas. (Feb. 15)
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest functioning medical facility in Gaza before an Israeli raid last week, is now out of commission, the World Health Organization said Sunday.
“Nasser hospital in #Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong siege followed by the ongoing raid,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a social media post.
Tedros said WHO teams bringing in fuel were twice denied entry into the hospital as they sought to assess the condition of patients and medical needs. He added there are about 200 patients left at the hospital and at least 20 are in urgent need of referrals elsewhere.
Khan Younis in southern Gaza has been the focus of the Israeli offensive for weeks as a Hamas hub. The Israel Defense Forces said it arrested more than 100 militants, including 20 who participated in the Oct. 7 attacks that triggered the Hamas-Israel war, in an incursion that began Thursday to seek for the remains of hostages.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said 70 medical personnel were among those arrested, leaving only four to care for patients, and that patients in hospital beds were also detained. Eleven patients died because of the loss of power and oxygen caused by the sweep, the BBC reported.
Tedros warned of more fatalities if those with critical needs don’t get proper care. “The cost of delays will be paid by patients’ lives,” he said.
Developments:
∎ At least 18 people in Gaza were killed by Israeli strikes overnight into Sunday, among them six in the southern city of Rafah − including a woman and three children − and seven in Gaza City in the north.
∎ U.S. Central Command said it struck against five Houthi targets Saturday, including three anti-ship cruise missiles, a submarine drone and a sea drone, after concluding “they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region.”
∎ Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko was booed by part of the crowd Sunday after winning the silver medal in the 400-meter individual medley at the Doha World Championships in Qatar.
The U.S. said it would once again veto a draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying it goes against the efforts to find a permanent solution to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The draft “will not be adopted,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, referring to the motion circulated by Algeria, the Arab representative on the Security Council.
“It is critical that other parties give this process the best odds of succeeding, rather than push measures that put it – and the opportunity for an enduring resolution of hostilities – in jeopardy,” she said.
The U.S., Qatar and Egypt have been trying for weeks to broker a cease-fire that would free the remaining 100-plus hostages in Gaza, but they’ve faced unyielding demands by both Israel and Hamas. On Sunday, the Israeli Cabinet adopted a declaration saying the country “categorically rejects international edicts on a permanent arrangement with the Palestinians” and opposes any unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state.
Contributing: The Associated Press
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
