On 19 May, Israeli forces struck Nasser hospital compound, 100 metres away from the intensive care unit and the inpatient department that are run by MSF. This is the third time in two months that Nasser hospital compound has been struck, once again depriving people of treatment and care. To reduce exposure, our teams were forced to temporarily close both the outpatient department and sedation room for patients awaiting or recovering from surgery, as well as suspend physiotherapy and mental health activities, which are essential for burn patients – most of whom are children.

This strike severely damaged the Ministry of Health pharmacy store, putting additional pressure on supplies at a time when medical stocks are running critically low due to the siege.

On the same day, Israeli forces have issued widescale evacuation orders, further limiting people’s access to medical care and MSF’s ability to provide it. An evacuation order covering almost the entire eastern part of Khan Younis, at the edge of Nasser hospital, forced people to immediately move towards Al Mawasi area, which resulted in a small number of patients in Nasser hospital on 20 May.