In the escalating conflict that has plunged Gaza into turmoil, the largest functioning hospital in the enclave, Nasser Hospital, found itself under siege. Israeli forces, claiming to target Hamas militants allegedly hiding within, conducted a raid that has drawn international condemnation and concern for the hundreds of patients, medical workers, and displaced Palestinians sheltering within its walls.
The military operation, described by Israeli officials as “precise and limited,” purportedly aimed to neutralize Hamas operatives accused of using the medical facility as a hideout and possibly holding captives. However, the incursion and subsequent power outages led to the tragic deaths of five intensive care patients due to the cessation of oxygen supply, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has voiced its alarm, emphasizing the critical condition of those still inside the hospital and the urgent need for fuel to ensure the continuation of life-saving services. The situation at Nasser Hospital encapsulate the dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where the infrastructure is crippled, and essential services are on the brink of collapse.
Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen amid shortages of food supplies, as the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 13. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
This episode is but one chapter in the devastating war that erupted following a Hamas-led incursion into Israel, triggering a ferocious military response. Palestinian health authorities have reported a staggering toll of 28,775 lives lost, predominantly civilians, with nearly the entire population of over 2 million people displaced.
The Israeli bombardment has not spared educational institutions, mosques, or state buildings, intensifying the humanitarian plight in Gaza. The siege of Nasser Hospital, where dozens of staff and patients were forcibly removed, and essential services like electricity were cut off, has become a symbol of the conflict’s brutal impact on innocent lives.
Amidst this chaos, two pregnant women were reported to have given birth under harrowing conditions, highlighting the desperate situation faced by Gaza’s residents. The international community’s eyes are now firmly on the humanitarian crisis, with mounting concerns that an assault on Rafah, where a significant portion of the enclave’s population seeks refuge, could worsen the already dire situation.
The recent Israeli air strike in Rafah, which resulted in additional casualties, underscores the relentless danger faced by Gaza’s inhabitants. Mourning the loss of her sister and family in one such attack, Rida Sobh’s words resonate with the fear and despair pervasive throughout the Strip: “There is no safety at all… safety is only with God, but here there is no security at all.”
