File Photo: Nasser Hospital. AFP
In a statement released Monday, MSF said Israeli authorities have imposed new movement restrictions requiring a 24-hour permit for any access to the hospital, effectively cutting off medical teams from reaching the facility. As a result, staff members who had worked overnight were forced to stay on for 48 hours straight to maintain operations.
“This is a deliberate obstruction of medical care,” the statement quoted José Mas, MSF’s Head of Emergency Programs, as saying.
“We’ve seen this before at hospitals like Al Awda and the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza—first the orders come to stop admitting patients, then the attacks follow. Denying access to Nasser is a death sentence for hundreds who rely on its emergency services,” he added.
Nasser Hospital, located in Khan Younis, has become the last critical lifeline for southern Gaza residents.
It houses essential medical infrastructure not available elsewhere in the region, including operating rooms, neonatal incubators, an oxygen plant, ventilators, and a blood bank.
Despite these vital functions, MSF says that Israeli-imposed evacuation orders and the failure to issue timely travel permits have severely restricted ambulance and medical staff access.
On Monday, the hospital’s outpatient department remained closed all day, while ambulances that attempted to deliver patients risked being targeted due to a lack of authorisation.
Over the past few months, MSF teams at Nasser Hospital have treated over 500 women in the maternity ward, many of whom required surgical care, and more than 400 newborns and infants, the statement noted.
The hospital is currently overwhelmed with patients suffering from burns, traumatic injuries, and critical conditions requiring immediate intervention, according to MSF.
The warning comes as Gaza enters its 20th month under siege and bombardment, a period marked by a collapsing health system, repeated airstrikes on medical facilities, and widespread displacement.
Humanitarian organisations say that the targeting and disabling of hospitals has become an Israeli systemic tactic.
MSF confirmed that its supported facility in central Gaza, Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, was bombed three times in recent days. While no casualties were reported in those attacks, they underscore the growing risks to medical infrastructure and personnel.
“Medical neutrality is not optional—it’s a cornerstone of international humanitarian law,” read the MSF's statement, adding: “Nasser Hospital must not be allowed to fail. The consequences would be catastrophic for an already devastated population.”
In recent weeks, Israeli officials have claimed that some hospitals in Gaza have been used by militant groups for cover—an accusation that humanitarian organisations repeatedly deny, saying it has been used to justify attacks on healthcare sites.
International aid agencies and human rights groups continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza’s remaining health infrastructure.
MSF and others are urging the Israeli authorities to rescind the movement restrictions and evacuation orders affecting Nasser Hospital and to ensure the protection of all medical facilities and personnel.
“There can be no justification for obstructing access to life-saving care,” said Mas. “In war, hospitals must be protected—not turned into battlegrounds.”
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