WHO head claims 200 patients still at now-defunct Khan Younis hospital raided by IDF

The head of the World Health Organization says Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is no longer functioning due to Israeli operations in and around the southern Gaza city’s largest medical center.

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, “about 200 patients” remain in the hospital, a higher number even than that cited by the Hamas-run health ministry, which said Saturday that 120 patients and five medical teams remained in the medical center.

It is not clear where the WHO tally comes from as teams from the UN agency were blocked from entering Nasser, according to a tweet from Tedros, who says 20 patients need urgent transport to other medical centers.

“The cost of delays will be paid by patients’ lives,” he warns.

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

Israeli troops have been operating in the hospital since Thursday, saying that evidence shows hostages had been held there and bodies of captives may still be there. More than 100 terror suspects have been nabbed at the medical center so far, and weapons have been found there, the Israel Defense Forces says.

While Gazans sheltering at the facility were told to evacuate ahead of the incursion, the IDF claims it has taken pains to keep the hospital functioning for patients, including transferring fuel and medical supplies to the facility.