MSF suspends some work at Gaza's Nasser Hospital due to presence of armed men

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Doctors Without Borders has announced the suspension of immoderate operations astatine 1 of Gaza 's largest functioning hospitals aft patients and unit reported seeing armed, masked men roaming parts of the building.

Nasser Hospital successful Khan Younis is 1 of the territory's fewer functioning hospitals. Hundreds of patients and war-wounded person been treated determination daily, and the installation was a hub for Palestinian prisoners released by Israel successful speech for Israeli hostages arsenic portion of the existent ceasefire deal.

It was a uncommon announcement by an planetary enactment astir the beingness of equipped men successful a aesculapian installation successful Gaza since the warfare began implicit 2 years ago.

The assistance radical besides known by its acronym MSF said successful a connection each its noncritical aesculapian operations astatine Nasser Hospital were suspended owed to information breaches that posed “serious" threats to its teams and patients. MSF said determination had been an summation successful patients and unit seeing equipped men successful parts of the compound since the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire was reached.

“MSF teams person reported a signifier of unacceptable acts including the beingness of equipped men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients and a caller concern of suspicion of question of weapons,” it said.

While the suspension occurred successful January, it was archetypal disclosed successful MSF’s “frequently asked questions” conception connected its website. It's unclear erstwhile the station was made, but the tract said it was updated Feb. 11.

Attacks connected wellness facilities

MSF said it wasn’t capable to bespeak the equipped men's affiliation. It said it had expressed interest to the “relevant” authorities, without elaborating, stressing that hospitals indispensable stay neutral, civilian spaces. It said its concerns were heightened by previous, deliberate Israeli attacks connected wellness facilities.

Throughout the war, which began with the Hamas-led onslaught connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals, including Nasser, accusing the militant radical of operating successful oregon astir them. Hamas information men often person been seen wrong hospitals, blocking entree to immoderate areas.

Some hostages released from Gaza person said they spent clip during captivity successful a hospital.

While Hamas remains the ascendant unit successful areas not nether Israeli control, including Nasser Hospital, different equipped groups person mushroomed crossed Gaza arsenic a effect of the war, including groups backed by Israel’s service successful the Israeli-controlled portion of the strip.

Nasser Hospital unit accidental that successful caller months it has been repeatedly attacked by masked, equipped men and militias, contempt constabulary beingness there.

Police to beryllium deployed

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry, which oversees constabulary successful Gaza, said officers would beryllium deployed to unafraid hospitals and escaped them of equipped presence. It said it was implementing stricter measures to guarantee patients’ safety.

While planetary instrumentality gives hospitals peculiar protections during war, they tin suffer this immunity if combatants usage them to fell fighters oregon store weapons, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Still, determination indispensable beryllium plentifulness of informing to let the evacuation of unit and patients earlier immoderate operations instrumentality place. If harm to civilians from an onslaught is disproportionate to the subject objective, it is amerciable nether planetary law.

Aid groups and rights organizations accidental Israel has decimated Gaza's wellness system, forcing astir hospitals to unopen down portion heavy damaging others. During the war, Israeli forces raided a fig of hospitals, detaining hundreds of staff.

Israel besides has targeted the constabulary successful Gaza.

A weakened aesculapian system

MSF said it volition proceed supporting captious services astatine Nasser Hospital, including inpatient and surgical departments for patients with traumatic oregon pain injuries. However, it is ending enactment to the pediatrics and maternity wards, including the neonatal intensive attraction unit. It has besides indefinitely suspended its outpatient consultations for 3D pain screening and intelligence health, arsenic good arsenic different services.

Zaher al-Waheidi, caput of the records section astatine Gaza's Health Ministry, said MSF's suspension would person a important interaction arsenic hundreds of patients are admitted to the maternity and pain wards daily. He said the ministry would instrumentality implicit maternity diligent care, but said pain victims won't person galore options.

Israel has been cracking down connected assistance groups operating successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including MSF. The radical is 1 of much than 3 twelve that Israel has banned from operating successful the portion for failing to comply with caller registration rules.

MSF says Israel's determination volition person a catastrophic interaction connected its enactment successful Gaza, wherever it provides backing and planetary unit for six hospitals and operates 2 tract hospitals and 8 superior wellness centers, clinics and aesculapian points. It besides runs 2 of Gaza’s 5 stabilization centers, helping children with terrible malnutrition.

The toll of war

While the heaviest warring has subsided, the fragile ceasefire has been seen astir regular Israeli fire. Israeli forces person carried retired repeated airstrikes and often occurrence connected Palestinians adjacent military-held zones, sidesplitting 591 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect, according to Gaza wellness officials.

Israel’s subject connected Saturday said its troops “eliminated” a idiosyncratic successful bluish Gaza who crossed the enactment dividing the territory and approached them. Later successful the day, the subject said its troops “eliminated” 2 equipped radical successful bluish Gaza who had taken screen nether debris connected the Israeli-controlled broadside of the enactment adjacent soldiers.

Gaza's Health Ministry said the wide Palestinian decease toll from the warfare is astatine slightest 72,051.

The ministry, portion of the Hamas-led government, maintains elaborate casualty records that are seen arsenic mostly reliable by U.N. agencies and autarkic experts. It does not springiness a breakdown of civilians and militants. Militants person carried retired shooting attacks connected troops, and Israel says its strikes are successful effect to that and different violations. Four Israeli soldiers person been killed.

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Magdy reported from Cairo.

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Find much of AP’s sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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