UN says more Gaza hospitals at risk of closure as aid missions denied

Three main hospitals in Khan Younis and the central Gaza Strip are at risk of closure as the intensifying Israeli offensive in those areas is worsening the situation, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).

"As casualties rise, the ability to treat them continues to be in jeopardy, with three hospitals in the Middle Area and Khan Younis– Al Aqsa, Nasser, and Gaza European – at risk of closure," Ocha said on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, in the northern Gaza Strip, UN teams continue to be denied access to the besieged area, preventing urgent supplies from reaching hundreds of thousands of people in need. 

Ocha said at least five missions to Al Awda Hospital in Jabalia and Central Drug Store in Gaza City have been blocked since 26 December, leaving "five hospitals in northern Gaza without access to life-saving medical supplies and equipment".