Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis has been put “completely out of service”, according to a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry.
The WHO chief said that some 200 patients were inside Gaza’s second-largest medical facility, which has been under an Israeli siege for nearly a month.
The Nasser Hospital was first targeted by Israel in the first 36 hours of the assault on Gaza in October. The hospital has been under siege for the past three weeks.
At least five patients died on Friday after electricity and oxygen supplies were cut at the facility, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
On February 9, Israeli snipers killed at least 21 Palestinians, mostly displaced civilians trying to reach the hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis.
The healthcare situation in Gaza is beyond critical and the gap between needs and support available is widening, said Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general and CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
He also said that due to the situation, many vulnerable people are lacking essential medical services.
“Civilian population in Gaza have suffered enough, and healthcare stands as one of the last remaining beacons of hope,” Chapagain said on X.
He added: “I remind all parties that the right to access healthcare must be upheld even in times of conflict. Once again, I call for safe and unhindered access for humanitarian workers so they can continue their life-saving work.”
Israel has repeatedly carried out attacks on hospitals and medical complexes in Gaza since launching the war on October 7, crippling the health services in the Palestinian enclave.
According to the latest WHO assessments, only 11 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning – five in the north and six in the south.
More than 200 medical personnel have been killed in more than four months of brutal war, making it one of the deadliest conflicts for the healthcare workers.
Rights groups say Israel’s targeting of hospitals cannot be justified in any circumstances. It’s against international laws and conventions agreed on conducts during wars.
At least 127 have been killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 28,985 since October 7, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
The ministry on its Telegram channel said on Sunday that 68,883 people have been wounded since Israel launched its devastating campaign in Gaza.
