WHO says Gaza’s hospital not functional after Israel raids

The World Health Organization has said Gaza’s Nasser hospital has ceased to function following an Israeli raid.

Israel Defense Force (IDF) troops entered the complex on Thursday, saying intelligence indicated hostages taken by Hamas were being held there.

The WHO said it had not been allowed to enter the site to assess the situation.

The IDF has described its operation in Nasser as “precise and limited” and accused Hamas of “cynically using hospitals for terror”.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Nasser hospital in Gaza is not functional anymore, after a week-long siege followed by the ongoing raid.” “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 reaching the hospital compound to deliver fuel alongside partners,” he said.

“There are still about 200 patients in the hospital. At least 20 need to be urgently referred to other hospitals to receive health care; medical referral is every patient’s right.”

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says only four medical staff were left in the hospital trying to care for the remaining patients.

The BBC has not been able to access the hospital and has been unable to independently verify the situation there.

One source inside the hospital, who did not want to be named, told BBC News that 11 patients had died due to interruptions in the supply of electricity and oxygen, and that several doctors had been arrested.

The Israeli military said no-one died as a result of its actions, adding that its troops had been told to keep the hospital running.

It said diesel and oxygen supplies had been taken to the facility, and that a temporary generator was operating.

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