Report: 4 Patients Died After Israeli Forces Stormed Hospital

Netanyahu speaks out against calls for a Palestinian state
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 16, 2024 4:27 AM CST
Israeli Forces Storm Southern Gaza's Main Hospital
An Israeli helicopter flies over Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024.   (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

Israeli forces stormed the main hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday, bringing chaos to hundreds of staff and patients inside, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and wounded six others inside the complex. Health officials said Friday four people in intensive care died because electricity was cut, stopping oxygen supplies for them. Troops were searching the facility, where the military said it believes the remains of hostages abducted by Hamas might be located. The raid came after troops had besieged Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis for nearly a week, with staff, patients, and others inside struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies, including food and water, the AP reports.

Troops moved into the hospital after the military said it had "credible intelligence" that Hamas had held hostages there and that the hostages' remains might still be inside. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesperson, said forces were conducting a "precise and limited" operation there and would not forcibly evacuate medics or patients. Later Thursday, Hagari said dozens of militants were arrested from the hospital grounds, including three who participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

  • Negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza, meanwhile, appear to have stalled, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back hard against the US vision for after the war—particularly its calls for the creation of a Palestinian state.

After speaking overnight with President Biden, Netanyahu wrote on X that Israel will not accept "international dictates regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians." He said that if other countries unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, it would give a "reward to terrorism." Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected creation of a Palestinian state. He has vowed to continue the offensive and expand it to the Gaza city of Rafah, near Egypt, until Hamas is destroyed and scores of hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack are freed. In their phone call, Biden again cautioned Netanyahu against moving forward with a military operation in Rafah before coming up with a "credible and executable plan" to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians, the White House said.

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)

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