Concerns Mount in Khan Younis Following Bombardment Near Nasser Hospital

Nasser Hospital, the largest remaining operational healthcare facility in Gaza is currently functioning at a capacity three times beyond its intended limit, as reported by Médecins sans Frontières (MSF). Located in the southern region of Khan Younis, the hospital has been admitting hundreds of injured patients daily as the conflict shifted to the southern region. 

Concerns are mounting that the hospital may face closure due to the impact of Israeli bombardments. A surgeon from MSF highlighted that Israeli forces conducted an intensive bombing near the hospital on Tuesday, 16 January, without issuing an evacuation order beforehand. 

Israeli officials have accused Hamas fighters of using Nasser Hospital as a base of operations after their investigation into a rocket fired at their troops in the northern part of Khan Younis this week revealed that it originated from Nasser Hospital. However, medical staff at the hospital deny these allegations. 

Residents in the vicinity of Nasser Hospital were compelled to evacuate as Israeli tanks advanced into the district overnight. Palestinian health authorities reported that at least seven individuals lost their lives due to Israeli air raids causing damage to homes in proximity to the hospital. Reports reflect mounting concerns that Nasser Hospital might face a similar fate to several other targeted facilities, becoming non-operational in the ongoing conflict. 

According to Ted Chaiban, the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, the lack of adequate sanitation facilities has resulted in a staggering 4,000 percent increase in cases of diarrhea among young children since the onset of the conflict, with 71,000 recorded cases among children under the age of five.

The ongoing conflict has led to the displacement of approximately 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents. Many sought refuge in Khan Younis and Rafah following Israel’s directive for civilians in the north to evacuate at the war’s onset. These displaced individuals are now crowded into UN-managed shelters, facing limitations in essential resources such as food, water, fuel, and medical care.

Others find themselves living in densely populated private apartments, makeshift camps, or even under plastic sheeting erected on wasteland or roads. Aid officials who have surveyed the situation in Gaza describe the level of crowding as almost unprecedented. The congestion impedes the movement of aid convoys, with roads partially obstructed by displaced families. 

Israel’s war in Gaza has resulted in a reported 24,620 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, losing their lives. Thousands are believed to be buried beneath the debris of buildings that were destroyed during the conflict.