Israeli troops turn medical centre into ‘military site,’ official says

Israeli troops stormed Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and turned it into a “military site”, Gaza’s Health Ministry has said.

The Israeli military told those inside the hospital to go to “the first and oldest building in the complex”, ministry director general Dr Medhat Abbas told The National on Thursday.

“They’ve asked them to clear out the third and fourth floors of the new building, where the operating rooms are,” he said.

Ministry spokesman Dr Ashraf Al Qudra said the army “raided Nasser Hospital complex and turned it into a military site after destroying its southern fence and breaking through it”.

All patients were ordered to leave the hospital and Israeli troops prevented medics from treating those in intensive care, he added.

Footage posted online on Wednesday showed crowds of people leaving the medical complex, many of them holding white flags.

Dr Al Qudra said the military used bulldozers to demolish an ambulance garage, tents used by displaced people, and mass graves.

On Thursday afternoon, Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that “a mission” was under way at the hospital to “find and return the bodies of hostages”.

The Israeli military said it would provide safe passage for displaced people to leave the hospital, while patients and medical staff were ordered to remain inside the complex.

Dr Al Qudra said at least 1,500 displaced people remain in the compound, along with 180 staff members and their families, 273 immobile patients and 327 others.

“Among the patients at Nasser medical complex are 18 patients in the intensive care unit, three infants in the nursery and 35 kidney dialysis patients,” he said.

Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza, is the latest medical centre to come under attack since the war began on October 7.

Gaza’s health sector has been devastated, with almost all of its hospitals now out of service.

Israeli forces have stormed several hospitals, including the enclave’s largest, Al Shifa in Gaza city. Israel accuses Hamas of using the complexes as command centres.

The National was unable to contact medical staff inside Nasser Hospital, as Gaza continues to experience regular communication cuts.

Seven patients, who were being treated for injuries received during the war, suffered further harm during the raid early on Thursday, Dr Khaled Alser, a surgeon at the hospital, told AP.

“The situation is escalating every hour and every minute,” he added.