150 Palestinians killed in Israeli siege of Gaza hospital

Gaza, Jan 28

As many as 150 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli siege of Nasser Medical Complex Hospital in Gaza's second-largest city of Khan Younis, Gaza Health Ministry said.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra said Palestinians were forced to bury the dead in the courtyard of the hospital, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We still have 30 unidentified bodies in the morgue at Nasser Medical Complex," he said, adding "Nasser Hospital is facing a severe and dangerous shortage of blood units, and many anesthesia drugs have run out."

Al-Qedra said that generators at the hospital will be shut down within four days due to fuel shortages, adding that the water tanks were damaged and malfunctioning as a result of shrapnel and Israeli drone fires, leading to water leakage into several buildings.

He emphasised that Israel "intentionally disables the capabilities of Nasser Medical Complex and Hope Hospital in Khan Younis during their siege, targeting them, and preventing ambulance movement."

Earlier, Israel's military denied reports claiming its attack.

In a statement sent to Xinhua on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said they were in telephone contact with the medical staff of Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis to ensure their continued operation.

"The IDF communicated that there is no obligation to evacuate the hospitals," the army said, adding that troops were operating against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 26,257 since October 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The Israeli army killed 174 Palestinians and wounded 310 others over the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.

It added that the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict had wounded at least 64,797 Palestinians, noting that many victims were still under the rubble as ambulance and civil defense crews could not reach them.