Fears are rising over the status of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Deir el-Balah, where 600 patients and healthcare staff went missing, Al Jazeera reports.

International medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it evacuated its medical staff. A bullet penetrated a wall of the hospital’s intensive care unit on Friday and “drone attacks and sniper fire were just a few hundred metres from the hospital”, said Carolina Lopez, MSF’s emergency coordinator there.

The hospital received 150 to 200 wounded people daily in recent weeks.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Medical Aid for Palestinians said it was also forced to withdraw from the hospital. “The amount of injuries being brought in over the last few days has been horrific,” surgeon Nick Maynard with the IRC medical team said.

Opinion

Editorial

Removing subsidies
Updated 09 May, 2026

Removing subsidies

The government no longer has the budgetary space to continue carrying hundreds of billions of rupees in untargeted subsidies while the power sector itself remains trapped in circular debt, inefficiencies, theft and under-recovery.
Scarred at home
09 May, 2026

Scarred at home

WHEN homes turn violent towards children, the psychosocial damage is lifelong. In Pakistan, parental violence is...
Zionist zealotry
09 May, 2026

Zionist zealotry

BOTH the Israeli military and far-right citizens of the Zionist state have been involved in appalling hate crimes...
Shifting climate tone
Updated 08 May, 2026

Shifting climate tone

Our financial system is geared towards short-term, risk-averse lending, while climate adaptation and green infrastructure require patient, long-term capital.
Honour and impunity
08 May, 2026

Honour and impunity

THE Sindh Assembly’s discussion on karo-kari this week reminds us of the enduring nature of ‘honour’ killings...
No real change
08 May, 2026

No real change

THE Indian sports ministry’s move to allow Pakistani players and teams to participate in multilateral events ...