About 70 healthcare workers arrested in Israeli raid on Nasser hospital, Gaza's health ministry says

KHAN YUNIS, GAZA - DECEMBER 22: A view of Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Yunis in Gaza, on December 22, 2020. In the blockaded Gaza Strip, healthcare professionals continue to struggle for the treatment of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) patients. Healthcare staff in the hospital, work with overalls, masks, glasses to minimize the risk of contamination during work. In the blockaded Gaza Strip, healthcare professionals continue to struggle for the treatment of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) patients. (Photo by Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Israeli forces have put Nasser Medical Complex “completely out of service” and rendered it unable to handle critical cases, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health said Sunday.

The comments back up a similar claim from the World Health Organization, who said its teams were not permitted to enter on Friday or Saturday.

Ministry spokesperson Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra claimed around 70 healthcare workers were arrested by Israeli forces and 80 patients have been transferred out of the hospital to an unknown location.

Only 25 medical staff remain in the medical complex, and they are unable to handle cases requiring critical care, Al-Qidra said.

For three days, electricity has been cut off to the complex, halting the supply of oxygen and water, Al-Qidra said. So far, seven people have died as a result, he said.

CNN cannot independently verify casualty figures in Gaza due to limited access to the area. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comment.

Nasser Hospital used to be the largest functioning hospital in the enclave. Israeli forces raided it on Thursday, detaining a number of suspects, after days of an intense bombardment.

The Israeli military said it had credible evidence that Hamas had previously held hostages at the hospital, and that the bodies of deceased hostages may be at the hospital, but did not publicly release that evidence.