Israeli tanks and armored vehicles surrounded the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, on Tuesday (26/3), witnesses said, as the Palestinian Red Cross organization reported that other hospitals were “unable to provide services,” as a result of military operations carried out by Israel.
Witnesses at Nasser Hospital, where thousands of Palestinian refugees have sought refuge from the war, told AFP that shots had been fired at the sprawling hospital complex in the southern Gaza city, but no direct assault had been carried out.
Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health said Israeli forces fired bullets and carried out violent raids around the hospital as part of their preparations for the invasion.
“Thousands of evacuees are still inside hospitals,” the ministry said.
“They do not have sufficient supplies of drinking water, food and baby milk, and their lives are in danger,” he added.
Israel's armed forces did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.
For the past nine days, Israeli forces have been involved in heavy fighting in and around Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which is the largest hospital in the region. They claim to have killed 170 Palestinian militants there and detained hundreds more.
The Palestinian Red Crescent organization said Tuesday that Al-Amal Hospital, near the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, was unable to provide services after Israeli forces vacated the hospital and blocked its entrance.
The health organization said in a statement that “the international community failed to provide the necessary protection” for staff, patients and Gaza refugees sheltering at Al-Amal.
The organization also said that one patient and one of their volunteers died on Sunday (24/3) due to Israeli gunfire.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said the hospital had turned into a “battlefield, when it should have been a place of refuge.”
“The forced closure of Al-Amal Hospital, one of the few remaining health facilities in the southern region, has far-reaching impacts, putting the lives of so many people at risk,” the IFRC said in a statement.
“Clearly marked with the red crescent symbol, Al-Amal Hospital is protected under International Humanitarian Law.”
The Israeli military, which on Monday (25/3) was reported to have killed around 20 fighters around Al-Amal Hospital, did not comment on the statement. (ns/rs)