'Smell of blood' fills Gaza hospital after deadly Israeli strike: UN

The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has reported "horrific scenes" at a hospital in southern Gaza following a deadly Israeli strike on a "humanitarian zone" for displaced Palestinians.

At least 90 people were killed and nearly 300 others injured in a strike that targeted the Al Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Saturday.

The Israeli army claimed that the attack targeted Mohamed Deif, the commander of Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, and his deputy. Hamas rejected Israel's claim and called it a "cover-up of a horrible massacre."

"Visiting the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis yesterday, I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza," Scott Anderson, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator and Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, said in a statement.

"With not enough beds, hygiene equipment, sheeting, or scrubs, many patients were treated on the ground without disinfectants. Ventilation systems were switched off due to a lack of electricity and fuel, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.

"I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment, and others separated from their parents," the UN official said.

"I also saw mothers and fathers who were unsure if their children were alive. Parents told me in despair that they had moved into the 'so-called humanitarian zone' in the hope that their children would be safe there."

Urgent need for ceasefire

Anderson called for removing restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid to civilians in besieged Gaza.

"Civilians must be protected at all times. We urgently need a ceasefire, the release of all remaining hostages, respite for the people of Gaza, and a meaningful opportunity for healing to begin."

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 38,600 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,900 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.