Rabat – Israel Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed today the Nasser Hospital located in southern Gaza, launching heavy gunfire and tank fire that left dozens wounded and caused a state of chaos at the medical facility.
The invasion came after occupants, including patients, medical staff, and displaced people, were given until 7 am to evacuate, with Israeli soldiers now present inside the hospital compound.
The attack targeted critical areas of the hospital, including the maternity ward, orthopedics unit, and emergency room. This has rendered the hospital, which is the largest health facility in southern Gaza, completely out of service.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Rafah, indicated that the entire medical staff was rounded up, with their hands tied behind their backs.
Doctor Khaled Alserr, one of the remaining surgeons at Nasser Hospital, revealed that even prior to the invasion, the facility was grappling with treating victims of previous Israeli fire. The escalation of violence has led to further injuries, with some individuals being wounded multiple times.
Hani Mahmoud reported that people attempting to evacuate the hospital after being ordered to leave were attacked by quadcopters as they passed through Israeli checkpoints.
Footage circulating online showed dozens of people fleeing the hospital on foot while carrying their belongings amid the chaos.
Israeli forces, bulldozing the hospital’s southern fence, stormed the courtyard before moving to the main building and rounding up medical personnel.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent added that IOF soldiers are preventing doctors and nurses from treating the wounded.
In an attempt to justify its storming and attacks on the Nasser hospital, the Israeli army has alleged, without providing evidence, that Hamas is holding captives at the medical facility and using it for their operations, a claim it has continuously used to legitimize its relentless attacks on Gaza hospitals.
This claim has been refuted by Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has condemned the attack on the hospital and highlighted the grave danger posed to intensive care patients left without medical staff.
