Three nurses at Al-Shifa have reportedly been killed as “bombardments and armed clashes” around the hospital have intensified, the UN says.
In an update on Sunday , the UN says critical infrastructure at the hospital has also been damaged – including an oxygen-generation facility, water tanks and a well, the cardiovascular facility and the maternity ward.
Israel has previously accused Hamas of operating an underground command centre beneath the site of Gaza’s largest hospital, which Hamas denies.
Asked whether Hamas was operating inside Al-Shifa, the hospital’s head of surgery Dr Marwan Abu Saada said the allegations were a “big lie”.
“We are civilians. I am a doctor-surgeon. We have medical staff, we have patients, and displaced people. Nothing else.”
In recent days the area around Al-Shifa in northern Gaza has experienced heavy fighting, with Israel being accused of attacking the hospital directly.
The Israeli military says it is operating in the area of the hospital, but denies attacking the facility.