Israel detains 100 people at Nasser Hospital on suspicion of ‘terrorist activity’

Gaza Health Ministry warns several newborn children are at risk of imminent death

Live updates: Follow the latest from Israel-Gaza

Israel’s military said it had taken into custody 100 people at one of Gaza’s main hospitals, suspecting them of being involved in “terrorist activity”.

The army said it seized weapons and retrieved “medications with the names of Israeli hostages” at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli troops arrested a large number of medical personnel from inside the hospital, which it said has been turned into a military barracks.

The hospital is still without electricity because generators have been halted, posing a threat to patients requiring oxygen, the ministry said. At least 120 patients and five medical teams are stuck without water, food and electricity.

“Newborn children are at risk of dying in the next few hours,” the ministry warned on Saturday.

Troops are also preventing critical patients from moving from Nasser Hospital to other medical centres, it said.

Meanwhile, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh blamed Israel for a lack of progress in achieving a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

Hamas “will not accept anything less than a complete cessation of the aggression, withdrawal of the occupation army from Gaza, and lifting of the unjust siege”, he said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Saturday that at least 28,858 people have been killed and 68,667 wounded in Gaza since the war began.

Israel began its air and ground campaign in the enclave on October 7, after Hamas carried out attacks on southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages.

Israeli planes, artillery and naval forces continue to bombard various areas in the Gaza Strip, hitting several buildings, including residential blocks.

Israel renewed its artillery shelling on Saturday morning in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza.

Palestinian media said Israel carried out air and artillery strikes on central residential areas of Gaza city.

Local sources said more than 10 Palestinians were killed when an Israeli shell hit a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood of Gaza city.

Two other homes were hit in the city’s Sabra neighbourhood, while the Zaytoun district was also hit by shelling, Palestinian media reported.

Israeli artillery also struck near Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.

Gaza city officials said Israel’s strikes had “destroyed dozens of municipal buildings”, including administrative offices, markets, commercial shops, cultural centres, and libraries.