Israeli siege threatens lives of thousands at Gaza hospital, Health Ministry warns

The lives of thousands of people are at risk at a hospital in southern Gaza amid a tight Israeli siege around the facility, the Health Ministry warned Thursday.

The Israeli army has slapped a siege around the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis city since Jan. 22 as part of its military offensive in the area.

“The lives of 300 medical staff, 450 patients and nearly 10,000 displaced people at the hospital are in grave danger,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement.

“The hospital is facing a severe shortage of anesthesia and critical care medicines and surgical supplies,” he added.

The spokesman warned that the hospital’s power generators will shut down in 48 hours due to a lack of fuel.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Palestinian group Hamas in October, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 27,840 Palestinians have since been killed and 67,317 others injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to local health authorities.

About 85% of Gazans have been displaced by the Israeli offensive, while all of them are food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.

Last month, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an interim order demanding Israel stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave, following a lawsuit by South Africa accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide.