A photo published by the Israeli army that it said was of its soldiers at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis (Reuters)
Al Jazeera obtained testimonies from some patients who were inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, during the siege and storming of the medical complex by the Israeli army earlier this month.
After the evacuation of patients from Nasser Hospital to the European Gaza Hospital, a young man and a woman spoke about the tragic details that the besieged people experienced while the Israeli army was inside the hospital.
Ashraf Abu Ahmed said, “I was staying in Nasser Hospital as a result of my injury last November. The Israeli army surrounded the hospital and asked its administration not to leave because the hospital was “safe.”
Abu Ahmed added, "After a short period, we asked the army to evacuate the hospital and the area as well, and to remove all patients who are able to walk. Then the army entered and besieged us in a building and cut off our electricity, water, and food for 5 days."
He spoke about extremely difficult conditions while the army was inside the hospital.
Ashraf Abu Ahmed said, "We were deprived of the simplest things. Our treatment stopped. A medicine truck arrived from abroad and the army prevented it from entering the hospital. We lived in complete darkness, and pieces of plaster fell on us from the ceiling as a result of the bombing. We had 6 deaths in intensive care due to the lack of oxygen".
Detention of medical staff
The eyewitness added to Al Jazeera that the Israeli army detained the medical staff and handcuffed them, after introducing a drone into the hospital rooms to photograph their contents and people.
He said, "The army brutally assaulted one of the patients and arrested a number of women, young men, and two elderly people. They removed bodies from the cemetery surrounding the hospital and then returned them."
In turn, Mrs. Saida Abu Odeh spoke about the circumstances of the detention of her only sister, who was accompanying her in the hospital.
Saida said, “They arrested my sister, and I have no one, and my family is not with me. My sister, who was detained by the Israeli army, is suffering from diabetes.”
She added, "I feel very worried about my sister and I do not know her fate yet. My husband is injured and I do not know where he is. We remained for 5 days without eating or drinking water."
Yesterday, Sunday, the Israeli army announced the end of its military operation in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, more than 10 days after it was stormed and turned into a military barracks, where the army acknowledged the arrest of about 200 people from inside the hospital.
Source: Al Jazeera