Hundreds of Palestinians in need of care and thousands more fleeing Gazans are effectively detained in the largest hospital in Khan Yunis, Nasser Hospital. The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders warns about this. About the building In the city located south of the Gaza Strip The area is currently witnessing fierce fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas.

Nasser Hospital is the largest operating hospital in the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of Gazans turn to him every day for help. according to Doctors without borders – That the employees work in the hospital – At least 850 patients and thousands of displaced people are currently unable to leave because the roads around the hospital are too dangerous.

The organization warns that the hospital is one of two places in southern Gaza where seriously ill people can still get help. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry also reported yesterday that the hospital was under attack and had been virtually isolated by the fighting.

Yesterday, Israel completed the encirclement of the city of Khan Yunis, prompting thousands of Palestinians to flee the city. They fled, among other places, to Rafah, located to the south, on the border with Egypt. According to the United Nations, about 1.5 million people currently reside in camps in and around this city – About two-thirds of the total population of Gaza.

Earlier in the war, Israel urged Palestinians from northern Gaza to move south, but targets there are now under fire as well. Nasser Hospital is one of those targets; Israel claims that Hamas uses it as a base. Israel has often said that Hamas operates from hospitals because they are protected under the international law of war.

Maartje Giles