Israeli Raid on Nasser Hospital in Gaza Leads to Mass Arrests and Collapse of Services
In a shocking turn of events, Israel’s raid on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza has resulted in the collapse of vital medical services and the arrest of numerous individuals, including patients and doctors. The Gaza Health Ministry and a senior U.N. official have both confirmed the dire situation unfolding at the hospital.
Nasser Hospital, located in the city of Khan Younis, is the largest medical facility in southern Gaza. However, due to the recent raid, it is now deemed non-functional. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed his concern over the situation and called for immediate access to the patients. Unfortunately, a WHO team that was sent to deliver fuel and assess medical needs was denied entry to the hospital compound on Friday and Saturday, despite their efforts to reach the facility. Approximately 200 patients are currently stranded and in need of urgent medical care.
“The cost of delays will be paid by patients’ lives,” warned Ghebreyesus. He emphasized that at least 20 individuals require immediate transfer to other hospitals for critical treatment. The lives of these patients hang in the balance as they await the necessary care that Nasser Hospital can no longer provide.
This is not the first time Israel has targeted a major healthcare facility in Gaza. Since the beginning of the war on October 7, a staggering number of casualties have been reported. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 28,985 people have been killed, and 68,883 have been injured. These attacks have severely crippled Gaza’s already struggling medical system. Doctors and staff are now forced to treat trauma injuries on the floor, perform surgeries without anesthesia, and witness critical patients perish when power outages cut off their oxygen supply.
Tragically, seven patients at Nasser Hospital lost their lives after Israeli troops stormed the complex on Friday, causing a power outage that resulted in the depletion of oxygen. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, confirmed this devastating loss in a statement on Sunday. He also revealed that the Israeli military arrested 70 members of the hospital’s staff, further exacerbating the dire situation.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that they raided Nasser Hospital to recover hostages they believed were being held there. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the IDF, stated that they also aimed to halt alleged militant activity taking place on the hospital grounds. However, no hostages have been found thus far. Instead, Israeli forces discovered medicine at the hospital bearing the names of Israelis who were previously abducted by Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Sunday that “200 terrorists” had surrendered at Nasser Hospital, although he did not provide any specific details. A subsequent IDF statement mentioned the apprehension of “hundreds of terrorists and terror suspects,” who were then transferred for further investigations by security forces.
Israel’s military has a history of detaining Palestinians, both combatants and civilians, in Gaza and imprisoning them without charge inside Israel. These actions are carried out under a secretive legal framework. Some individuals who have been released have reported instances of ill-treatment and abuse during their time in detention.
The arrest of Nasser Hospital’s intensive care doctor has left critical cases without qualified physicians to oversee their care, according to Qudra. Additionally, dozens of immobile patients were detained and transported to military beds inside trucks before being taken elsewhere.
Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an IDF spokesman, claimed that, to his knowledge, the hospital was still operational. He stated that staff members were working on fixing a malfunction in the main generator, which he insisted was unrelated to their activities during the raid. Hecht also mentioned that fuel and oxygen were delivered to Nasser Hospital on the previous day, emphasizing that it is in Israel’s best interest for the hospital to continue functioning.
In other news, Israel’s government unanimously approved a declaration stating that the country will not recognize a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained that this decision was made in response to recent international remarks about forcing a Palestinian state upon Israel. The Biden administration and several Middle East partners are currently working on a peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians, which includes a timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
President Biden has been in contact with Netanyahu, as well as the leaders of Egypt and Qatar, in an effort to find a sustainable resolution to the conflict. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, confirmed these ongoing discussions. She also stated that if a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire were to be presented, the United States would not support it.
Netanyahu, however, dismissed the possibility of further negotiations for a cease-fire, citing Hamas’s “delusional demands.” These demands include Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinians from Israeli prisons.