WHO said its team was prevented from gaining access to the hospital on Friday and Saturday to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs.
The World Health Organization has said Gaza's Nasser Hospital has ceased to function following a week-long siege by the Israeli military.
WHO said its team was prevented from gaining access to the hospital on Friday and Saturday to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs.
Israel Defense Force (IDF) troops raided the complex on Thursday, claiming it had intelligence that hostages taken by Hamas during its October 7, 2023 invasion of Israel were being held there.
WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday, “Nasser hospital in Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong siege followed by the ongoing raid.
Nasser hospital in #Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong siege followed by the ongoing raid.
Both yesterday and the day before, the @WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 18, 2024
“Both yesterday and the day before, the WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite reaching the hospital compound to deliver fuel alongside partners.
“There are still about 200 patients in the hospital. At least 20 need to be urgently referred to other hospitals to receive health care; medical referral is every patient’s right.
“The cost of delays will be paid by patients’ lives.
“Access to the patients and hospital should be facilitated.”
At least 1,200 people were killed during last October’s attacks by Hamas militants on Israel.
Israel launched a military campaign in the Gaza Strip and according to the Hamas-run health ministry, over 28,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 68,000 wounded since the war began.