Gaza Nasser hospital 'not functional anymore': WHO Chief
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World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus affirmed that approximately 200 patients remain in the hospital, with at least 20 requiring urgent referral to other healthcare facilities.
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A wounded Palestinian child receives medical treatment at Nasser Hospital following the Israeli bombing of Khan Younis refugee camp on November 20, 2023. (AP)
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has stated that Nasser Hospital in Gaza, the second largest hospital in Gaza, is no longer functional due to a week-long siege by Israeli forces followed by relentless bombings.
Despite attempts by the WHO team to assess patient conditions and critical medical needs, they were denied entry to the hospital compound for two consecutive days, he added.
Nasser hospital in #Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong siege followed by the ongoing raid.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 18, 2024
Both yesterday and the day before, the @WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite…
Ghebreyesus affirmed that approximately 200 patients remain in the hospital, with at least 20 requiring urgent referral to other healthcare facilities, emphasizing the patient's right to medical referral.
He also stressed that delays in access and care pose a significant threat to patients' lives, underscoring the urgent need for facilitated access to patients and the hospital.
“The cost of delays will be paid by patients’ lives,” he cautioned.
The Israeli war on hospitals continues
In the same context, the spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qudra, confirmed that the lack of fuel and the infighting surrounding the hospital forced it to go out of service.
"There are only four medical staffers currently caring for patients" inside the Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis, al-Qudra said as quoted by Reuters.
"The Nasser medical complex is the backbone of healthcare in the southern Gaza Strip. Its ceasing to function is a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian displaced people in Khan Younis and Rafah," he added.
Concurrently, Israeli invading forces detained 100 Palestinians including medical staff at the hospital, raising concerns for the safety and well-being of both patients and staff who are currently trapped inside.
BREAKING| The Ministry of Health says Israel's military kidnapped 70 medical workers at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/xbhx5O3VXY
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) February 18, 2024
“Newborn children are at risk of dying in the next few hours,” Gaza's health ministry cautioned on Saturday.
IOF transformed Nasser into 'military base'
The statement further mentioned that the military has transformed the hospital into a "military base" and arrested a significant number of medical personnel following a raid on the compound on Thursday.
Day 135 | A nurse from Nasser Hospital provides a horrific testimony on what took place during a raid conducted by the IOF pic.twitter.com/F9pSLdhLPl
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) February 18, 2024
The Israeli Army admitted that its soldiers stormed the hospital on Thursday. Simultaneously, the United Nations condemned the incursion, and medical personnel reported that the hospital was directly targeted by tank fire on Thursday. Following the raid, the power was cut off, and the generators ceased to function, resulting in the death of six patients due to a shortage of oxygen, as per the Health Ministry.
Concerns arose over the possible detention of Dr. Khaled al-Serr, a surgeon who remained on duty during the raid. A group of international doctors reported on Saturday that they lost contact with him 33 hours earlier. In his final communication, al-Serr detailed the death of an ICU patient due to the electricity shortage.
“Even as the Israeli military invaded Nasser hospital, Khaled continued sending us updates from the ICU,” the doctors stated.
A #Palestinian doctor shared a video from inside Nasser Hospital in #Gaza's southern area of Khan Younis, where the sound of gunfire could be heard as medical staff attended to injured patients amid the smoke and debris.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 15, 2024
Dr. Mohammed Harara is heard in the video saying, "The… pic.twitter.com/rO3mbfIMgt
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation continues its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza, launching a series of airstrikes targeting various areas of the Strip, resulting in numerous casualties and injuries.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced today that the number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7 has risen to 28,985 in addition to 68,883 injured.
Read next: Scenes of 'terror and chaos' at Nasser Hospital amid Israeli raid: MSF
