Health Officials: 5 patients die as oxygen runs out in Gaza hospital seized by Israeli forces

Five patients in intensive care died after their oxygen ran out in southern Gaza's main hospital that was stormed by Israeli troops, causing chaos for hundreds of staff and wounded people inside, health officials said on Friday.

Troops were searching the complex, where the military said it believes the remains of hostages abducted by Hamas might be located.

The raid came after troops had besieged Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis for nearly a week, with staff, patients and others inside struggling under heavy fire and dwindling supplies, including food and water.

The Israeli military said on Friday it had detained dozens from the facility, including some it alleged were involved in Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.

Also on Friday, an assailant opened fire at a bus stop on a busy intersection in southern Israel, killing two persons and wounding four before being shot dead by a bystander. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Later Friday, Israeli security forces arrived at the Jerusalem home of a Palestinian man who was previously identified on social media as being linked to the attack.

Negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza, meanwhile, appear to have stalled, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back hard against the U.S. vision for after the war particularly its calls for the creation of a Palestinian state. 

He said that if other countries unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state, it would give a “reward to terrorism.” Mr. Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected creation of a Palestinian state.

Two Israeli airstrikes on Rafah overnight killed at least 13 persons, including nine members of the same family, according to hospital officials and relatives.

Nasser Hospital was the latest in a series of hospitals Israeli forces have besieged and stormed during the war, claiming Hamas was using them for military purposes.

The assaults have gutted Gaza’s health sector as it struggles to treat a constant stream of people wounded in daily bombardments.

It said they arrested 20 people on suspicion of participating in the October 7 attack, and that dozens were taken for questioning.

It also said troops found grenades and mortar shells, and that militants had fired mortars from inside the hospital a month ago. The claims could not be independently confirmed.