Doctors film 'shocking' conditions in Gaza's Nasser Hospital, as charities warn of 'path to famine'
Doctors film inside Gaza's Nasser Hospital after it was raided by Israeli soldiers, as the US calls for a 'temporary ceasefire' for the first time, John Irvine, Dan Rivers and Robert Peston report
No food, no water and no power is what doctors were met with in Gaza's largest hospital, as charities warned of the “catastrophic humanitarian toll” the Israel-Hamas conflict has caused.
A nine minute video, shared by United Nation doctors, shows Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis in devastation.
The video was released as Israel comes under increasing pressure from the West and charities for a ceasefire and an end to the conflict, which was sparked on October 7, when Hamas militants launched an attack.
For the first time, on Tuesday, The United States called for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, in a new draft UN Security Council resolution.
In the UK, the Labour Party and The SNP are both calling for an "ceasefire", with the government set to vote on the SNP's motion on Wednesday.
A number of charities also made strong calls for more aid at a press conference on Tuesday.
A Refugees International spokesperson said: “Where all this denial (of aid) leads us – is a rapid path to famine.
"That famine will occur simply because of the manner in which this war being conducted and the persistent and intentional denials of humanitarian access principally by the Israeli government."
Oxfam added it is expecting a “catastrophic humanitarian toll” as “1.5 million people are squeezed into a sliver of land with nothing left."
Another charity, Doctors Without Borders, added the "situation in Nasser Hospital is yet another example of the way healthcare facilities are being dismantled one by one in this war.”
A nine minute video shows doctors' journey into Nasser Hospital and the devastation they found
Medical workers who went in Nasser Hospital , after Israeli forces sieged the facility last week, faced blackouts, panic due to ambulance shortages and found Gaza's drug supply completely destroyed.
Footage of United Nations doctors assessing patients trapped inside the hospital was released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday, after the site was raided by Israeli forces last week.
In the video, doctors said they found an 'acute' shortage of food, basic medical supplies and oxygen.
They also said the hospital was left with no tap water or electricity after Israeli forces stormed the hospital on February 14 to retrieve the remains of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed it had "credible intelligence” Hamas had held hostages at the hospital and their remains might still be inside.
In the below clip crews can be heard talking about the urgency around the supply of ambulances to the hospital.
Teams from the UN had tried unsuccessfully to gain access to the hospital on Friday and Saturday.
The UN said it transferred 14 critically ill patients from the complex in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
After they managed to get inside, members of the team documented the mission and highlighted the key difficulties they faced.
Power was lost at the medical complex last week after it was cut off and generators stopped working, according to the health ministry.
"This is the former emergency department of the Nasser medical complex, now its a death zone," one team member lamented.
One of those leading the medical mission describe the state parts of the hospital have been left in
Talking after the operation one WHO team member said: "We were shocked with what we saw at the Nasser medical complex.
"There's waste everywhere, [the] electricity was not working, parts of the hospital are damaged with some severely damaged.
"The central drug store which delivered supplies to the whole of southern Gaza, destroyed. Unfortunately with a lot of the supplies from WHO and partners.
"We must immediately start rebuilding and make sure Nasser medical complex is functional again."
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