The World Health Organisation has said Gaza’s Nasser hospital has ceased to function following an Israeli raid. Israel Defence Force (IDF) troops entered the complex on Thursday, saying intelligence indicated hostages taken by Hamas were being held there. The WHO said it had not been allowed to enter the site to assess the situation. The IDF has described its operation in Nasser as “precise and limited” and accused Hamas of “cynically using hospitals for terror”, reports the BBC.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Nasser hospital in Gaza is not functional anymore, after a week-long 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 reaching the hospital compound to deliver fuel alongside partners,” he said. “There are still about 200 patients in the hospital. At least 20 need to be urgently referred to other hospitals to receive health care; medical referral is every patient’s right.”