Children gather in front of a building destroyed by Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan 27, 2024, as battles between Israel and the militant group Hamas continue. (PHOTO / AFP)

GAZA / JERUSALEM - As many as 150 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli siege of Nasser Medical Complex Hospital in Gaza's second-largest city of Khan Younis, said a Palestinian medical official on Saturday.

Palestinians were forced to bury the dead in the courtyard of the hospital, said Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

"We still have 30 unidentified dead bodies in the morgue at Nasser Medical Complex," he said, adding "Nasser Hospital is facing a severe and dangerous shortage of blood units, and many anesthesia drugs have run out."

Al-Qedra said that generators at the hospital will be shut down within four days due to fuel shortages, adding that the water tanks were damaged and malfunctioning as a result of shrapnel and Israeli drone fires, leading to water leakage into several buildings

Al-Qedra said that generators at the hospital will be shut down within four days due to fuel shortages, adding that the water tanks were damaged and malfunctioning as a result of shrapnel and Israeli drone fires, leading to water leakage into several buildings.

ALSO READ: UN court orders Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza

He emphasized that Israel "intentionally disables the capabilities of Nasser Medical Complex and Hope Hospital in Khan Younis during their siege, targeting them, and preventing ambulance movement."

Earlier, Israel's military denied reports claiming its attack. In a statement sent to Xinhua on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces said they were in telephone contact with the medical staff of Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis to ensure their continued operation.

"The IDF communicated that there is no obligation to evacuate the hospitals," the army said, adding that troops were operating against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, the largest city in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinians flee Israeli ground offensive in Kahn Younis, Gaza Strip, Jan 27, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 26,257 since Oct 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The Israeli army killed 174 Palestinians and wounded 310 others over the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a press statement.

ALSO READ: UN court orders Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza

It added that the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict had wounded at least 64,797 Palestinians, noting that many victims were still under the rubble as ambulance and civil defense crews could not reach them.

Netanyahu

Also on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Qatar should leverage its influence on Hamas to release hostages in Gaza.

"Qatar hosts the leaders of Hamas, finances Hamas, and has leverage on Hamas," Netanyahu said at a press conference in Tel Aviv.

According to Netanyahu, Qatar "said that it can help bring back (the hostages) -- therefore, let them apply their pressure. They put themselves as a mediator -- please prove it and return our hostages."

Qatar has played as the primary mediator in the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas. It focuses its efforts on bringing an end to the ongoing conflict and securing the release of over 100 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas and other militant groups.

READ MORE: Hamas says Israel paralyzed hospitals in Gaza's Khan Younis

Last week, Israel's Channel 12 TV news released a recording of Netanyahu saying in a close meeting that Qatar's role as a mediator is "problematic." He told the families of the hostages "you don't hear me thanking Qatar."

Qatar said it was "appalled" by the comments. Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Majed al-Ansari wrote in a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday that "these remarks, if validated, are irresponsible and destructive to the efforts to save innocent lives but are not surprising."