The network announced Friday that Brees, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, has been hired as an NFL game analyst. He will join play-by-play announcer Adam Amin in the booth starting Nov. 16.
Amin had previously been paired with Sanchez, who is facing a felony battery charge after a physical altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in Indianapolis last month. Sanchez, who was stabbed in the abdomen during the incident, has not been on the air since then, and a Fox Sports spokesperson told The Times on Friday that he “is no longer with the network.”
“There will be no further comment at this time,” the spokesperson added.
Sanchez has been charged with a level five felony of battery involving serious bodily injury as well as two misdemeanors — unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication — after an Oct. 4 scuffle with Indiana resident Perry Tole.
Sanchez was in Indianapolis that weekend to cover the Colts’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders. According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Sanchez threw Tole toward a wall and also onto the ground during the altercation, while Tole sprayed Sanchez with pepper spray and eventually stabbed him.
Tole spent two days in the hospital after suffering a deep laceration on his left cheek that his attorney said affected his ability to speak. On Oct. 6, Tole filed a civil lawsuit against Sanchez, alleging he had suffered “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress, and other damages” as a result of the 38-year-old former NFL player’s actions.
Fox Corp. was named as a co-defendant in the case.
Sanchez remained in the hospital for a week after the incident. He was excused from attending an Oct. 22 pre-trial conference for his criminal case, as his attorney said he was still recovering from his injuries. The trial is set to begin Dec. 11.
With Brees, Fox has replaced Sanchez with one of the NFL’s all-time greats at quarterback. Brees played for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints during his 20 years in the NFL and is second behind Tom Brady in many of the league’s passing records, including touchdowns and yards. In his first year of eligibility, he is among the 52 modern-era players under consideration for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
“Drew is one of the best to ever play the game, and we couldn’t be more excited to have his prolific credentials and unique insights as part of our coverage on Sundays,” Brad Zager, president of Production and Operations at Fox Sports, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to welcome him to the Fox Sports family.”
Upon retiring in 2020, Brees called games on NBC for one season. More recently, he has appeared on in-studio shows on various networks and is slated to be part of Netflix’s coverage of Christmas Day games for the second year.
“I appreciate the opportunity Fox has given me in the booth and with their team,” Brees said in a statement. “I hope my passion for this game is reflected in the knowledge and insights I provide to the fans each Sunday.”
Katie Price modelled leggings in her latest set of social media snapsCredit: Katie Price/Facebook/BackgridThe former glamour model was subject to a slew of negativity when she posted onlineCredit: Katie Price/Facebook/BackgridFans have been concerned about the mum of five’s slimmed-down shape for monthsCredit: Splash
Katie, who has claimed medics are baffled by her slimmed-down frame, was seen posing in all-black attire for a recent photoshoot.
The reality TV star pulled on a snug black zipped tracksuit from brand JYY London, giving her Facebook followers a glimpse from both the front and the rear.
Katie flashed a huge smile as she struck her poses against a brick wall in a garden, and gushed in the image caption: “So comfy it’s unreal.”
KATIE Price’s love for surgery is no secret – here’s the details
1998 – Katie underwent her first breast augmentation taking her from a natural B cup to a C cup. She also had her first liposuction
1999 – Katie had two more boob jobs in the same year, one taking her from a C cup to a D cup, and then up to an F cup
2006 – Katie went under the knife to take her breasts up to a G cup
2007 – Katie had a rhinoplasty and veneers on her teeth
2008 – Katie stunned fans by reducing her breasts from an F cup to a C cup
2011 – Going back to an F cup, Katie also underwent body-contouring treatment and cheek and lip fillers
2014/5 – Following a nasty infection, Katie had her breast implants removed
2016 – Opting for bigger breasts yet again, Katie had another set of implants, along with implants, Botox and lip fillers
2017 – After a disastrous ‘threading’ facelift, Katie also had her veneers replaced. She also had her eighth boob job taking her to a GG cup
2018 – Katie went under the knife yet again for a facelift
2019 – After jetting to Turkey, Katie had a face, eye and eyelid lift, Brazilian bum lift and a tummy tuck
2020 – Katie has her 12th boob job in Belgium to correct botched surgery and a new set of veneers
2021 – In a complete body overhaul, she opts for eye and lip lifts, liposuction under her chin, fat injected into her bum and full body liposuction
2022 – Katie undergoes another brow and eye lift-and undergoes ‘biggest ever’ boob job in Belgium, her 16th in total
2023 – Opting for a second rhinoplasty, Katie also gets a lip lift at the same time as well as new lip filler throughout the year
2024 – Katie has her 17th boob job in Brussels after revealing she wanted to downsize. She performed at Dublin Pride just days later and surgeons warned the lack of recovery posed a risk of infection
HEALTH CONCERNS
Just last month, Katie uploaded a selfie to social media with a concerning caption.
She wrote: “First day off and straight to the doctors to find out what’s happened to my weight.”
She also shared another snap of herself in a pink hoodie and said: “Doctors for bloods to see why I’m losing weight.”
The Celebrity Big Brother winner told her fans on Snapchat at the time: “I’ve been up early at the doctors so she could do some bloods and because my veins are so s*** they had three attempts.
“They could only fill two tubes up, so I’ve got to go back in two weeks.
“And I’ve got to have my stitches out then because they looked at my little stab wound that I did.”
Her frail frame has been a cause of concern for her fans over the last few months, with many of her loyal followers taking to the comments section of her pictures to share their worries.
FAMILY CLAP BACK
Her fans aren’t the only ones who have shared their concerns as the former glamour model’s family have also said their piece.
In August, while filming the first episode of her new podcast, The Katie Price show, she was joined by her sister Sophie.
On the episode, Katie, who recently showed off her newest surgery, asked her dad: “What are you looking at?” to which he replied: “Look how thin them legs are, terrible they are, my hand can go round them.”
She replied: “They’re obsessed with my weight,” as Sophie chimed in: “You are thin.”
Katie was heard insisting: “I am happy,” as her dad retorted: “No it’s not right, it’s probably that vaping crap.”
Katie has claimed medics are baffled about her recent weight lossCredit: GettyShe was recently whisked to hospital and underwent blood testsCredit: GettyThe TV star has spoken openly about her new shape – and insisted it isn’t down to vapingCredit: Getty
Liverpool forward Mia Enderby has been taken to hospital with a suspected neck injury following her side’s 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.
She appeared to land on her neck after jumping for an aerial challenge and was taken from the field on a stretcher.
There were 22 minutes of stoppage time played at the end of the match, owing largely to Enderby’s injury.
Enderby, 20, has featured in all six of Liverpool’s Women’s Super League games this season and started against Spurs.
Former Sheffield United player Enderby signed a new two-year deal in the summer, having made 42 appearances and scored six goals in her first two seasons with the club.
Liverpool are already without Marie Hobinger and Sophie Roman Haug, who suffered anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries before the international break.
The Reds are second-bottom at the WSL, having failed to pick up any points from their first six matches.
BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham has shared a health update with fans after visiting hospital this week
Packham leads children’s march to Buckingham Palace to ask royals to rewild land
Beloved Springwatch host Chris Packham has opened up about a worrying health scare that saw him rushed to Southampton hospital after spotting an alarming symptom, which led to an invasive procedure to obtain a biopsy.
The BBC naturalist admitted the medical emergency required immediate investigation, telling supporters he’d anticipated the experience would be “a bit unpleasant and uncomfortable”.
He underwent both a gastroscopy and colonoscopy following the discovery of a polyp, and revealed the ordeal proved far less daunting than he’d feared.
The wildlife campaigner updated his numerous Instagram followers from the hospital café as he documented the journey online.
He admitted: “I got to watch it all… it was better than everything I saw on Netflix last night.”
A gastroscopy, alternatively termed an upper endoscopy, involves a physician using an extended, bendable tube equipped with a camera to inspect the upper digestive tract, encompassing the oesophagus, stomach, and duodenum.
A colonoscopy, meanwhile, is a diagnostic examination of the large intestine’s lining utilising an elongated, flexible tube fitted with a camera, known as a colonoscope.
The procedure is carried out to explore symptoms such as stomach pain or bleeding, to check for bowel cancer, or to keep track of pre-existing health issues.
Chris verified that doctors had extracted a small polyp and that he’s currently awaiting the biopsy findings, reports the Express.
Despite facing uncertainty, he stayed positive and took the opportunity to commend the team caring for him. “I just want to say a massive thank you to all of the staff and volunteers working at this hospital and, of course, to the NHS,” he said.
“Whatever happens going forward, we’ve got to protect our NHS.”
However, the wildlife presenter’s hospital experience took an unexpected turn when he encountered one of the hospital’s cuddliest guests, Tinker the poodle. The adorable dog was visiting alongside charity volunteer Carmella, collecting donations for the Muscle Help Foundation.
The organisation delivers life-transforming “Muscle Dream Experiences” for youngsters living with muscular dystrophy. Chris was deeply touched by their cause and promised to promote their donation link, encouraging anyone able to contribute even a modest sum to support them.
“I know it’s tough times,” he said, “but anything you can afford would be most welcome.”
He remarked that the duo had been given a “fantastic welcome” at the hospital, before adding with humour: “What a place – sensational. And finishing off with a poodle… that’s what you call service!”.
This marks Chris ‘most recent health disclosure, with the broadcaster being remarkably candid about his wellbeing on social media, discussing extensively his experiences living with Asperger’s Syndrome, which he was diagnosed with aged 40 following years of feeling unlike others around him.
People were quick to comment on the post with one person saying: “Great sharing your experience of undergoing a colonoscopy Chris! Super important for men to make sure they get checked out if ever concerned!”
Someone else wrote: “Sending so much love and so pleased all went well and it’s over.” As another added: “I hope all goes well for you…take care of yourself you have spent your life dedicating to others.”
Jessika Power, an administration officer who was in series six of Married at First Sight Australia, has had tests in hospital to find out what has been causing her stomach pains
00:48, 30 Oct 2025Updated 00:50, 30 Oct 2025
Jessika Power is pictured with Mick Gould, her groom on MAFS Australia
Jessika Power, 33, has confirmed she has had tests in a bid to work out what has caused her struggle. Posting an Instagram clip from her hospital bed, the administration officer described the pain as “really intense” but, as yet, doctors have been unable to diagnose her.
“I’ve been having really bad problems with my tummy so we’re just doing some more tests, because I’m an older woman now and I’ve got to look after myself. This pain’s really intense… I’ll let you guys know what’s going on when I know. I thought if I was sick and didn’t post for a while you guys would freak out,” the star, who was in series six of Married at First Australia, told her followers.
Jessika broke up with Mick Gould, 35, before the final decision on the TV show. She since dated boat builder Ryan Loveridge but earlier this year, she split with the man, who had previously been on Celebs Go Dating.
During her time on MAFS, Jessika received huge backlash after cheating on her groom Mick with fellow contestant Dan Webb, a car broker. Speaking after the series, which aired in 2021, Jessika said: “I’m not a nasty, horrible girl [anymore] and I honestly have to laugh at the trolls.”
The young woman, from Perth, Western Australia, added: “They (the trolls) come to my Instagram to say horrible things and call me a bully – but that makes them bullies.”
During this year’s UK Married At First Sight, Rebecca dished out some home truths. Fans of the E4 programme , which sees total strangers ‘marry’ before trying to make a success of their sudden relationship, will know that April and Leo tied the knot relatively late in the new series after being introduced as ‘intruder bride and grooms,’ after all the other participants had already been matched.
Having chatted to Rebecca about how things are going, Leo later claimed she had ‘misinterpreted’ what he said, and she then decided to put her two pence in on camera as well.
Fighters with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces recorded themselves conducting an execution while surrounded by dead bodies inside el-Fasher’s Saudi Hospital. As Hiba Morgan reports, it’s the latest example of RSF paramilitaries filming their own actions.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents also have shown up at community clinics. Health providers say officers tried to enter a parking lot hosting a mobile clinic, waved a machine gun in the faces of clinicians serving the homeless, and hauled a passerby into an unmarked car outside a community health center.
In response to such immigration enforcement activity in and around clinics and hospitals, Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed SB 81, which prohibits medical establishments from allowing federal agents without a valid search warrant or court order into private areas, including places where patients receive treatment or discuss health matters.
But while the bill received broad support from medical groups, health care workers and immigrant rights advocates, legal experts say California can’t stop federal authorities from carrying out duties in public places like hospital lobbies and general waiting areas, parking lots and surrounding neighborhoods — places where recent ICE activities sparked outrage and fear. Previous federal restrictions on immigration enforcement in or near sensitive areas, including health care establishments, were rescinded by the Trump administration in January.
“The issue that states encounter is the supremacy clause,” said Sophia Genovese, a supervising attorney and clinical teaching fellow at Georgetown Law. She said the federal government has the right to conduct enforcement activities, and there are limits to what the state can do to stop them.
California’s law designates a patient’s immigration status and birthplace as protected information, which like medical records cannot be disclosed to law enforcement without a warrant or court order. And it requires health care facilities to have clear procedures for handling requests from immigration authorities, including training staff to immediately notify a designated administrator or legal counsel if agents ask to enter a private area or review patient records.
Several other Democratic-led states also have taken up legislation to protect patients at hospitals and health centers. In May, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed the Protect Civil Rights Immigration Status bill, which penalizes hospitals for unauthorized sharing of information about people in the country illegally and bars ICE agents from entering private areas of health care facilities without a judicial warrant. In Maryland, a law requiring the attorney general to create guidance on keeping ICE out of health care facilities went into effect in June. New Mexico instituted new patient data protections, and Rhode Island prohibited health care facilities from asking patients about their immigration status.
Republican-led states have aligned with federal efforts to prevent health care spending on immigrants without legal authorization. Such immigrants are not eligible for comprehensive Medicaid coverage, but states do bill the federal government for emergency care in certain cases. Under a law that took effect in 2023, Florida requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask about a patient’s legal status. In Texas, hospitals now have to report how much they spend on care for immigrants without legal authorization.
“Texans should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in issuing his executive order last year.
California’s efforts to rein in federal enforcement come as the state, where more than a quarter of residents are foreign-born, has become a target of President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Newsom signed SB 81 as part of a bill package prohibiting immigration agents from entering schools without a warrant, requiring law enforcement officers to identify themselves, and banning officers from wearing masks. SB 81 was passed on a party-line vote with no formal opposition.
“We’re not North Korea,” Newsom said during a September bill-signing ceremony. “We’re pushing back against these authoritarian tendencies and actions of this administration.”
Some supporters of the bill and legal experts said California’s law can prevent ICE from violating existing patient privacy rights. Those include the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits searches without a warrant in places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Valid warrants must be issued by a court and signed by a judge. But ICE agents frequently use administrative warrants to try to gain access to private areas they don’t have the authority to enter, Genovese said.
“People don’t always understand the difference between an administrative warrant, which is a meaningless piece of paper, versus a judicial warrant that is enforceable,” Genovese said. Judicial warrants are rarely issued in immigration cases, she added.
The Department of Homeland Security said it won’t abide by California’s mask ban or identification requirements for law enforcement officers, slamming them as unconstitutional. The department did not respond to a request for comment on the state’s new rules for health care facilities, which went into immediate effect.
Tanya Broder, a senior counsel with the National Immigration Law Center, said immigration arrests at health care facilities appear to be relatively rare. But the federal decision to rescind protections around sensitive areas, she said, “has generated fear and uncertainty across the country.” Many of the most high-profile news reports of immigration agents at health care facilities have been in California, largely involving detained patients brought in for care.
The California Nurses Assn., the state’s largest nurses union, was a co-sponsor of the bill and raised concerns about the treatment of Milagro Solis-Portillo, a 36-year-old Salvadoran woman who was under round-the-clock ICE surveillance at Glendale Memorial Hospital over the summer.
Nurses say immigration agents brought a patient to California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles and stayed in the patient’s room for almost a week.
(Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times)
Union leaders also condemned the presence of agents at California Hospital Medical Center south of downtown Los Angeles. According to Anne Caputo-Pearl, a labor and delivery nurse and the chief union representative at the hospital, agents brought in a patient on Oct. 21 and remained in the patient’s room for almost a week. The Los Angeles Times reported that a TikTok streamer, Carlitos Ricardo Parias, was taken to the hospital that day after he was wounded during an immigration enforcement operation in South Los Angeles.
The presence of ICE was intimidating for nurses and patients, Caputo-Pearl said, and prompted visitor restrictions at the hospital. “We want better clarification,” she said. “Why is it that these agents are allowed to be in the room?”
Hospital and clinic representatives, however, said they already are following the law’s requirements, which largely reinforce extensive guidance put out by state Attorney General Rob Bonta in December.
Community clinics throughout Los Angeles County, which serve more than 2 million patients a year, including a large portion of immigrants, have been implementing the attorney general’s guidelines for months, said Louise McCarthy, president and chief executive of the Community Clinic Assn. of Los Angeles County. She said the law should help ensure uniform standards across health facilities that clinics refer out to and reassure patients that procedures are in place to protect them.
Still, it can’t prevent immigration raids from happening in the broader community, which have made some patients and even health workers afraid to venture outside, McCarthy said. Some incidents have occurred near clinics, including an arrest of a passerby outside a clinic in East Los Angeles, which a security guard caught on video, she said.
“We’ve had clinic staff say, ‘Is it safe for me to go out?’” she said.
At St. John’s Community Health, a network of 24 community health centers and five mobile clinics in South Los Angeles and the Inland Empire, chief executive Jim Mangia agreed the new law can’t prevent all immigration enforcement activity, but said it gives clinics a tool to push back with if agents show up, something his staff has had to do.
Mangia said St. John’s staff had two encounters with immigration agents over the summer. In one, he said, staff stopped armed officers from entering a gated parking lot at a drug and alcohol recovery center where doctors and nurses were seeing patients at a mobile health clinic.
Another occurred in July, when immigration agents descended upon MacArthur Park on horses and in armored vehicles, in a show of force by the Trump administration. Mangia said masked officers in full tactical gear surrounded a street medicine tent where St. John’s providers were tending to homeless patients, screamed at staff to get out and pointed a gun at them. The providers were so shaken by the episode, Mangia said, that he had to bring in mental health professionals to help them feel safe going back out on the street.
A DHS spokesperson told CalMatters that in the rare instance when agents enter certain sensitive locations, officers would need “secondary supervisor approval.”
Since then, St. John’s doubled down on providing support and training to staff and offered patients afraid to go out the option of home medical visits and grocery deliveries. Patient fears and ICE activity have decreased since the summer, Mangia said, but with DHS planning to hire an additional 10,000 ICE agents, he doubts that will last.
KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
GEORDIE Shore star Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia Oatway shared a heartbreaking post about their son Oakley.
The mum-of-three, who shares her kids withMTVreality star turnedMMAfighter Aaron, has been giving fans regular updates on their youngest son’s health.
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Talia Oatway shared a heartbreaking post about ‘endless tears’ in a new updateCredit: Instagram / @talia.oatwayThe brave mum said it’s been 11 days since her little boy was admitted to hospital againCredit: Instagram / @talia.oatwayGeordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia shared a tearful photo of herselfCredit: Instagram / @talia.oatway
Their son OakleyhasApert Syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that causes fusion of the skull, hands, and feet bones.
On Friday, Talia shared a series of photos of herself and Oakley at hospital.
One picture showed Talia looking exhausted and tearful following another difficult week after Oakley was admitted to hospital.
She wrote: “It’s been 11 days since we got admitted to hospital, a transfer to another hospital, another 2 GAs, more training for mumma, endless tears and another diagnosis for my Oakley boy. Road to recovery now.”
Love Island star Sophie Lee commented: “My strong girl and fighter of a little cherub! You got this!”
Charlotte Trippier posted: “You are something else you girl! Absolute supermum with a warrior of a boy. Love you so much.”
Hollyoaks actress Chelsee Healey added: “One strong mumma and boy, sending so much love always.”
Earlier this month, Talia gave fans an update, and said: “I know I haven’t been on it today. Um, so Oakley had a gemranosec earlier this morning to have a CT scans on his brain just to basically out rule a lot of stuff for the sickness.
“Um, so he had that and then had to wait obviously for the neurosurgeons to look at the scans.
“I mean I’ve still got no answers but they did tell me some bits that’s going on with Oakley’s brain which obviously has petrified me.
“Um, but I’m waiting until the surgeons at Newcastle obviously speak to the surgeons in Liverpool and then I’ll have more of an understanding about the situation that Oakley is in.
“Um, but yeah it’s just been a really shit day, very emotional day.”
Taking to her Instagram story, the concerned mum penned: “Oakley had the worst sickness last night, from 11ish till about 5am.
“Bath after bath, bed change after bed change.
“I feel so sorry for him. The fundo surgery he’s due to have soon (after his hands) is so needed.
“It will stop him being sick completely. Currently on a meds run for him.”
What is Apert syndrome?
APERT syndrome, also known as acrocephalosyndactyly, is a rare disorder that is named after the doctor who first discovered it in the early 20th century.
It is a genetic condition and is caused by a mutation of the FGFR2 gene.
This affects how cells in the body – namely bone cells – grow, divide and die.
Children born with Apert syndrome have a characteristic appearance, which is caused by the bones in the skull and face fusing and not growing in proportion, according to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
It can increase a child’s risk of hydrocephalus, which results in pressure building on the brain, and it can also cause Chiari malformation, where the base of the brain is squeezed.
Other complications include breathing difficulties and heart problems, which require life-long monitoring.
The condition is said to occurs in one in every 65,000 to 88,000 births and a child’s outlook can vary greatly depending on the severity of symptoms
Talia previously took to Instagram to post a video of her son taking his first steps and shared an update with her followers.
Alongside the clip, she wrote: “Oakley has been using a walking frame for a few months now.
“He’s had some shoes made for him as it’s impossible to get shoes that fit his feet.
“Which is common with Apert syndrome.
“Today we tried the shoes for the first time. We also had physio at home which we are doing every week.”
Aaron and Talia welcomed Oakley into the world in February 2022.
Warning: The following article contains details about suicide which some may find distressing
Cerys Lupton-Jones pauses between two doorways.
One door leads into a side room in the Manchester mental health unit where she’s a patient. The other leads into a toilet.
The 22-year-old had tried to end her life just 20 minutes earlier – but no staff are seen on the CCTV footage from inside the unit.
She hesitates for about 30 seconds, walking backwards and forwards. Then she enters the toilet and shuts the door.
The next time she is seen on the footage, doctors and nurses are fighting to resuscitate her.
Cerys dies five days later, on 18 May 2022.
A coroner has concluded that some of the care Cerys was given at Park House, which was run by the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, was a “shambles”.
Staff were meant to be checking on her every 15 minutes.
But the last recorded observation – at 15:00 – had been falsified, saying she had been seen in a corridor. CCTV shows at that point, Cerys was already in the toilet where she would fatally harm herself.
A staff member who was supposed to be looking after her has now admitted to falsifying these records.
Zak Golombeck, coroner for Manchester, said that if someone had stayed with her after the earlier attempt to take her life, what followed may never have happened. He said neglect was likely to have contributed to her death.
Campaigners are calling for an inquiry into the number of deaths at the mental health trust and believe the services are in crisis.
Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust said it “failed her that day, and we are so very sorry that we did not do more”.
Family handout
Cerys was a patient at Park House, which was run by the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Cerys’s parents, Rebecca Lupton and Dave Jones, describe their daughter as a loving young woman who would do anything for her friends. She was studying to be a nurse and was months away from completing her degree, with a job lined up.
She was autistic and had also struggled with her mental health since her teens.
Her family, who lived miles away in Sussex, say the pandemic and the reduction in community mental health support exacerbated Cerys’s problems.
The inquest was told Cerys had tried to take her life in the days running up to her death, spending time in A&E.
She was then readmitted to Park House and put on one-to-one observations for a short time. Later, she was supposed to be checked by staff every 15 minutes.
The inquest heard how, at about 14:35 on 13 May 2022, Cerys was found in a toilet by Mohammed Rafiq, a health support worker who had been assigned to check on her. Cerys had tried to hang herself.
Rebecca Lupton and Dave Jones describe Cerys as a loving young woman
Mr Rafiq and the duty nurse, Thaiba Talib, intervened.
However, the inquest heard the 15-minute observations were not then increased and staff had no proper conversation with her.
The nurse told the inquest she did not believe Cerys meant to seriously harm herself.
She told the coroner she chose not to increase observations on Cerys because she did not want her to feel punished, as she did not like being under observation.
When asked by the coroner if she should have gone with Cerys to her room after the incident and check she was safe, Ms Talib answered: “In hindsight, yes.”
Damning CCTV from inside the unit was described minute by minute in court.
It showed Cerys going into the ward garden at 14:42. The observation record, which says at 14:45 she was in her bedspace, was described by the coroner as “not accurate”.
At 14:54, Cerys walked into another toilet on the ward and closed the door.
Yet Mr Rafiq told the coroner he remembered seeing Cerys at 14:57. He wrote in the observation notes that he had seen her at 15:00 “along the corridor, looking flat-faced”. He then went on a break. In reality, Cerys was still in the toilet.
The coroner told Mr Rafiq that his recollections were wrong, and that he had “falsified” the observation records. Mr Rafiq responded: “I’m afraid so”.
Mr Rafiq said other staff had shown him how to record observations every 15 minutes, even if he hadn’t done them at that time. “That’s how they did it and that’s how I did it”, he told the court.
A new support worker took over the observations at 15:00. There was no verbal handover and, according to Mr Rafiq’s notes, Cerys had just been seen.
The CCTV shows the new support worker checking on other patients. At 15:15 she looked for Cerys.
She could be seen becoming increasingly desperate as she searched the communal areas and ran along the corridor.
At 15:19, she tried the door to the toilet, using a master key to unlock it. She found Cerys inside and immediately raised the alarm.
By that point, 25 minutes had passed since Cerys went into the toilet. She died in hospital on 18 May, five days later.
The coroner said there was a gross failure by Ms Talib to provide “basic medical attention to a person in a dependent position”.
He also found there was a culture of falsifying records on the ward.
The coroner said it was not clear what Cerys’s intention had been. In a narrative conclusion, he recorded that neglect had contributed to her death.
“Cerys was a wonderful, wonderful young person”, her mother Rebecca Lupton said
“I knew it was bad,” Cerys’s mother Rebecca told the BBC, “but listening to the evidence highlighted quite how poor the care was.”
Her father, Dave, says when Cerys was sectioned and taken to the hospital at the start of 2022, they believed it would keep her safe and help her get better. “In fact, it just made everything worse,” he says. “It was the wrong environment.”
“Cerys was a wonderful, wonderful young person. We feel that she would be here today if she’d been given better care by Manchester Mental Health Trust,” Rebecca said outside court, after the coroner gave his conclusion.
Dave described the disbelief and anger as difficult to put into words. “We need more funding for mental health services, more staff, better training and much better oversight.”
Immy Swithern was a patient at the same time as Cerys. They became close friends. She says they tried to make the best out of a bad situation and would talk all day.
She also claims some staff regularly failed to carry out 15-minute safety checks, so they tried to look out for each other.
“I was there to get better, and I was there to have help with that,” she says. “Instead, I was constantly checking on people. On that ward, I think that is the most scared I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Park House mental health unit has since closed. It was replaced by a new £105.9m hospital in November 2024.
The NHS trust said it had “significantly improved” its provision of care and it was grateful to the coroner for “acknowledging the work that has been done to prevent something of this nature from happening again”.
But campaigners claim mental health services in Manchester are in crisis.
Responding to Tuesday’s inquest verdict, the Communities for Holistic, Accessible and Rights-based Mental Health (CHARM) group, says: “It is devastating to hear of yet another young person losing their life as a result of neglect and poor care.”
The group says it is due to meet Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham this week to call for a statutory inquiry into the deaths and the financial crisis in the city’s mental health services.
In October 2022, five months after Cerys death, an undercover BBC panorama programme exposed bullying and the mistreatment of patients at the medium secure Edenfield centre, which was also run by GMMH.
As a result, an independent review was commissioned by the NHS and published in 2024.
It found a “closed culture” at GMMH. It also raised concerns about the number of deaths by ligature.
In 2022, 19 people took their own lives by hanging on mental health units in the UK, five were GMMH patients, the trust itself said that meant it had 26% of all such deaths in the whole country.
If you are suffering distress or despair, details of help and support in the UK are available at BBC Action Line.
GEORDIE Shore star Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia Oatway has revealed a “petrifying” development as their son Oakley returns to hospital.
The mum-of-three, who shares her kids withMTVreality star turnedMMAfighter Aaron, has been giving fans regular updates on their youngest son’s health.
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Geordie Shore star Aaron Chalmers’ ex Talia Oatway has given an update on her child’s healthCredit: UnknownOakley has the genetic disorder Apert SyndromeCredit: Instagram/talia.oatwayTalia said it had been an ’emotional day’Credit: InstagramGeordie Shore’s Aaron and Talia welcomed son Oakley – his third child – back in 2022Credit: Instagram
Their son Oakley hasApert Syndrome, which is a genetic disorder that causes fusion of the skull, hands, and feet bones.
Today Talia gave fans an update, and said: “I know I haven’t been on it today. Um, so Oakley had a gemranosec earlier this morning to have a CT scans on his brain just to basically out rule a lot of stuff for the sickness.
“Um, so he had that and then had to wait obviously for the neurosurgeons to look at the scans.
“I mean I’ve still got no answers but they did tell me some bits that’s going on with Oakley’s brain which obviously has petrified me.
“Um, but I’m waiting until the surgeons at Newcastle obviously speak to the surgeons in Liverpool and then I’ll have more of an understanding about the situation that Oakley is in.
“Um, but yeah it’s just been a really shit day, very emotional day.”
APERT syndrome, also known as acrocephalosyndactyly, is a rare disorder that is named after the doctor who first discovered it in the early 20th century.
It is a genetic condition and is caused by a mutation of the FGFR2 gene.
This affects how cells in the body – namely bone cells – grow, divide and die.
Children born with Apert syndrome have a characteristic appearance, which is caused by the bones in the skull and face fusing and not growing in proportion, according to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
It can increase a child’s risk of hydrocephalus, which results in pressure building on the brain, and it can also cause Chiari malformation, where the base of the brain is squeezed.
Other complications include breathing difficulties and heart problems, which require life-long monitoring.
The condition is said to occurs in one in every 65,000 to 88,000 births and a child’s outlook can vary greatly depending on the severity of symptoms
Oct. 12 (UPI) — Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was booked into the Marion County, Ind., jail Sunday after being released from the hospital following treatment for stab wounds he received during an altercation with a truck driver.
Sanchez, 38, is facing multiple charges, including felony battery, for his altercation with 69-year-old Perry Tole, in which Sanchez was stabbed multiple times. Tole claimed he was defending himself from the former NFL star. Sanchez was released from jail following his booking Sunday.
Trump told Indianapolis media that he was “focused on his recovery,” and thanked medical professionals for saving his life.
“Right now, I’m just focused on recovery,” Sanchez said. “And I just wanted to thank the first responders, Eskenazi hospital … I just want to thank Dr. [Lindsey] Morrisey, the surgeon. I’m grateful for that. Sorry I can’t answer all your questions.”
Sanchez told reporters that he is recovering slowly and that “it is a long process.”
Tole has sued Sanchez and Fox Sports for his injuries that he said he received in the Oct. 4 incident in Indianapolis.
Local police said they would typically wait until Monday to handle cases that happen on the weekend, but “a high level of public interest” in Sanchez prompted them to take action on Sunday.
THOMAS Skinner’s two-year-old twin daughters have been rushed to hospital.
The Strictly star opened up about his children’s “so so scary” dash to A&E overnight.
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EROTEME.CO.UK FOR UK SALES: Contact Caroline If bylined must credit BBC1 Strictly Come Dancing Picture shows: Tom Skinner his wife and children Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Shirley Ballas and Anton Du Beke Hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman NON-EXCLUSIVE: Date: Saturday 20th September 2025 Job: 250920UT11 London, UK EROTEME.CO.UK Disclaimer note of Eroteme […]Credit: Eroteme
He told fans: “We are having a proper s*** time recently.
“My twins have spent all night in the hospital.
“Thank you to the wonderful NHS for looking after them.
“Back home with them now.
READ MORE ON THOMAS SKINNER
“They’ve both now had 2 fits each and it is so so scary.”
The attack by the paramilitary on the hospital wounded 17 others, and is the second such attack in 24 hours.
Published On 8 Oct 20258 Oct 2025
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At least 12 people have been killed and 17 were wounded when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled a hospital in Sudan’s North Darfur state, medical sources said.
A female doctor and a nursing staff member were among the injured in the attack on the el-Fasher Hospital, the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement on Wednesday.
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The medical group said the RSF “directly bombed” the facility. It alleged the attack was a “full-fledged war crime” and showed “a complete disregard for the lives of civilians and international laws that protect health facilities and their workers”.
The group held the RSF “fully responsible” for the attack and appealed to the international community and the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action to stop attacks on health facilities and civilian homes and to protect the devastated health system in the besieged city.
The hospital is one of the last functioning health facilities in the city, with most repeatedly bombed and forced to shut.
Two medical sources confirmed Wednesday’s attack, which was the second on the hospital within 24 hours, after eight people were killed in an attack on a maternity ward on Tuesday.
The RSF is pressing a fierce assault on el-Fasher in an attempt to wrest control of the city away from its rivals, the regular Sudanese army.
Since April 2023, the war between the two forces has killed tens of thousands, displaced some 15 million and pushed nearly 25 million people into acute hunger, according to UN figures, triggering what has widely been described as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.
Some activists say el-Fasher, the last state capital in the vast western Darfur region to elude the paramilitary’s grasp, has become “an open-air morgue” for starved civilians.
The RSF has imposed a blockade on el-Fasher since May 10, 2024, despite international warnings about the dangers to the city, a hub for humanitarian operations in the five Darfur states.
Nearly 80 percent of households in need of medical care in el-Fasher are unable to access it, according to the UN.
Exhausted medical teams are already scrambling to treat the injured amid daily attacks on the city.
Nearly 18 months into the RSF’s siege, the city – home to 400,000 trapped civilians – has run out of nearly everything. The animal feed families have survived on for months has grown scarce and now costs hundreds of dollars a sack.
The majority of the city’s soup kitchens have also been forced shut for lack of food, according to local resistance committees, volunteer groups that coordinate aid.
More than one million people have fled el-Fasher since the start of Sudan’s civil war, with the exodus dramatically escalating as the RSF has increased attacks following its loss of control of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, earlier this year.
The 69-year-old truck driver who got into a physical altercation with former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez over the weekend is out of the hospital and continuing his recovery at home, according to his attorneys.
Indiana resident Perry Tole suffered a laceration on his left cheek during an incident that occurred late Friday night and into early Saturday in an alley outside a downtown Indianapolis hotel.
“He’s been released from the hospital, recovering and hopeful that he’ll have regained function to — you know, his ability to speak,” Eric J. May, one of the attorneys representing Tole in a civil lawsuit against Sanchez, told TMZ on Monday.
“Right now he’s having a real difficult time communicating because of the large gash on his face. It affected his jaw, tongue and mouth.”
May added that Tole “can speak right now, but it’s just so slurred and so labored for him, just because of all the trauma to his mouth and cheek.”
Attorney Edward R. Reichert told TMZ that Tole won’t be able to attend his son’s wedding this weekend as a result of what he went through. May said he expects “further medical treatment and an ongoing treatment for him well into the future” and added that “psychological injuries” also are a concern.
“I think it’s too early to tell what his long term prognosis is going to be, but we’re hopeful,” May said. “He’s out right now, he’s back with his wife, and I think they’re just glad to be alive.”
Sanchez was pepper-sprayed in the face and stabbed multiple times by Tole during the scuffle, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed Saturday by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
As of Monday morning, Sanchez remained in the hospital and was listed in stable condition. His brother released a statement later in the day on behalf of the Sanchez family.
“This has been a deeply distressing time for everyone involved,” Nick Sanchez said. “Mark and our family are incredibly grateful for the concern, love, and support we’ve received over the past few days. Mark remains under medical care for the serious injuries he sustained and is focused on his recovery as the legal process continues.”
Sanchez is being charged with a level five felony of battery involving serious bodily injury and three misdemeanors — battery resulting in injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication.
Marion County, Ind., prosecutor Ryan Mears said Monday that more charges are possible as the investigation continues.
Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game for Fox Sports. Fellow Fox analyst Brady Quinn filled in for Sanchez on the broadcast.
According to the affidavit, which was based on hotel surveillance footage and a statement Tole gave to the police, Sanchez apparently objected to Toles backing his box truck onto the hotel’s loading dock while performing his job with a company that recycles and disposes of commercial cooking oil.
Sanchez smelled of alcohol at the time of the confrontation, the affidavit said.
Tole’s civil lawsuit, filed Monday in Marion County Superior Court, alleges that he suffered “severe permanent disfigurement, loss of function, other physical injuries, emotional distress, and other damages” as a result of Sanchez’s actions.
Sanchez’s employer, Fox Corp., is named as a co-defendent in the suit, in which Tole seeks compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial.
It’s set to be a heavy week in EastEnders next week, with one resident in hospital and another held captive as a number of storylines are set to take a dark turn
00:00, 07 Oct 2025Updated 00:04, 07 Oct 2025
Vicki is put in hospital after Joel’s attack(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
At the end of this week, the BBC soap will take an extremely dark turn, when he Joel his stepmother following an argument.
The week starts off with Ross apologising to Joel for their earlier argument unaware of his actions, as Vicki heads to The Vic for help. Of course, he’s left absolutely horrified to learn of Vicki’s attack, and he shuts down rumours that Joel is the one responsible.
Elsewhere, Joel enlists the help of best mate Tommy while playing down the extent of his attack on Vicki. Helping his friend, Tommy agrees to hide Joel in the Slaters garage – although Zoe senses something is up…
Things get so bad, that Vicki is taken to hospital, but Ross is relieved to find out that she will recover. But tensions continue to rise between the pair as they discuss Joel.
Later in the week, we’re set to see Vicki stunned as things develop, but what has happened and what will the consequences be?
Unfortunately, Vicki isn’t the only one in danger next week. There’s fears for Harry Mitchell as his father Teddy struggles to locate him.
Unbeknownst to Teddy and Gina, he’s held captive by Okie and refuse to release him until he reveals where the hidden camera is linked too. However, no one suspects any trouble, as Okie and Ravi force Harry to make a call to Teddy.
Despite Harry later giving them the information on the cameras, the pair refuse to let him go. Things get worse for Harry when Gina leaves him a scathing voicemail, and later gives Okie her number when he bumps into her on the way to retrieve Harry’s laptop.
He’s later instructed to let Harry go but he continues to keep him locked up, taunting him by going on dates with Gina. Later, a broken Harry takes drugs to escape his current reality as Okie continues to toy with his emotions…
There’s happy news for two other couples however, as Jasmine finally accepts a date with Oscar, and Julie is delighted when Nigel reveals that he’s taking her to India.
And in more lighter news, Elaine tells Yolande she wants to turn No.5 into a boutique hotel…
Elsewhere, Johnny panics when he realises, he drunkenly sent a business proposal to all of his clients, including his boss, and later tells Callum he’s been fired…
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
A THREE-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a horror van crash.
The tot was walking in a car park in Bournemouth, when a blue Vauxhall Vivaro hit him on Saturday.
Dorset Police were called to the scene, in Landsdowne Road, at 12.35pm.
Paramedics rushed the three-year-old to hospital with serious injuries.
His family is being supported by specialist officers.
No arrests have been made and the van driver is assisting officers with the investigation, said the force.
Sergeant Richard Stroud, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “Our thoughts are with the young boy involved in this incident and his family.
“Our enquiries into what happened remain ongoing and I would urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that might assist our investigation, to please contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online, via email at [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250147249.
Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online using its website or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.
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A three-year-old boy has been taken to hospital with serious injuriesCredit: Google Street View
KEIR Starmer is set to announce an “online hospital” that will deliver millions of appointments a year as a “new chapter” for the NHS begins.
The Prime Minister will use his leader’s speech at Labour’s conference to set out plans for NHS Online which will connect patients to specialist clinicians.
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Plans for NHS Online will be revealed by the PMCredit: Getty
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Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce the scheme at the Labour conferenceCredit: Getty
The scheme, which will begin operating in 2027, will deliver up to 8.5 million extra NHS appointments in its first three years, Labour claimed.
In his speech in Liverpool Sir Keir will say “a new world is coming” and “in decades to come, I want people to look back on this moment as the moment we renewed the NHS for a new world”.
The online hospital will be accessible through the NHS app and will allow patients to choose between the digital service and their local hospital.
And those who use the service will be able to access and track prescriptions, be referred for scans and tests, and receive clinical advice on managing their condition.
Patients who require a physical test or a procedure will be able to book them on the app, at a nearby hospital, surgical hub or community diagnostic centre.
Sir Keir will describe it as “a new chapter in the story of our NHS, harnessing the future, patients in control”.
“Waiting times cut for every single person in this country. That’s national renewal, that’s a Britain built for all.”
The Prime Minister will stress the need for continued NHS modernisation, insisting it is Labour’s responsibility to make the health service fit for the years to come.
Sir Keir will say: “I know how hard people work in the NHS – I see it my family – and I celebrate it at every opportunity.
“But the responsibility of this party is not just to celebrate the NHS, it’s to make it better.”
The scheme builds upon ideas already being used in some NHS trusts to reduce waiting times and allow patients to get treatment or advice quicker.
NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey said: “This is a huge step forward for the NHS and will deliver millions more appointments by the end of the decade, offering a real alternative for patients and more control over their own care.
‘Hundreds of sick children to be evacuated from Gaza for NHS treatment in UK’
“Patients who choose to receive their treatment through the online hospital will benefit from us industrialising the latest technology and innovations, while the increased capacity will help to cut demand and slash waiting times.
“The NHS can, must and will move forward to match other sectors in offering digital services that make services as personalised, convenient, and flexible as possible for both staff and patients.”
NHS Providers chief executive Daniel Elkeles said: “The online hospital could be a very significant development, transforming the way many patients receive their care.
“The way the NHS provides outpatients services hasn’t changed much for decades, but during Covid we learned a lot about opportunities for new approaches using digital technology.
“It’s sensible they are taking the time to plan this properly because there are a lot of factors to consider.
“These include the handling of patient data and the need to avoid ‘digital exclusion’ of people who can’t access the service.
“It’s important there’s new funding and it will be an NHS organisation with NHS staff.
“This is a bold, exciting initiative, but the benefits should not come at the cost of destabilising vital services patients will continue to rely on.”
In his speech, The PMwill also say there is “nothing compassionate or progressive” about lettingillegal migrants cross the Channelas he stakes his political life on bringing an end to the small boats crisis.
He is under pressure to give a storming conference speech to silence his growing number of critics in both the party and across the country.
Delivering hard truths to his party faithful, the Labour leader will say beating Reform will require “decisions that are not cost-free or easy — decisions that will not always be comfortable for our party”.
Sir Keir sees stopping the migrant boats, maintaining economic discipline and taking another stab at slashing Britain’s bloated benefits bill as vital to winning re-election.
Channel crossings are at record levels under Labour, while use of asylum hotels has also increased.
It has seen Reform open up a ten-point lead, according to some polls, and become the bookies’ favourite to form the next government.
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The NHS could be undergoing major changesCredit: PA
Israel falsely claimed a Hamas camera was the target of a deadly strike that killed 22 people, including journalists.
Published On 27 Sep 202527 Sep 2025
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Israel’s justification for bombing a Khan Younis hospital in southern Gaza, claiming it targeted a Hamas camera, is false, according to an investigation by the news agency Reuters.
Israeli forces planned the August 25 attack on Nasser Hospital using drone footage that, a military official said, showed a Hamas camera that was the target of the strike. But a Reuters review of visual evidence and interviews with witnesses established that the camera in question actually belonged to the news agency and had long been used by one of its own journalists.
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The “double-tap” attack killed 22 people, including five journalists – one of whom worked for Al Jazeera. Their deaths bring the number of journalists killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza to more than 200 since the genocidal war began nearly two years ago.
A day after the hospital strike, the army said troops had fired on a “suspicious” camera draped in cloth, claiming it was operated by Hamas. Drone footage later showed the device on a hospital stairwell, covered with a prayer rug belonging to Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri – who was killed in the strike – not Hamas, Reuters found.
At least 35 times since May, al-Masri had positioned his camera on the same stairwell to record live broadcasts distributed worldwide. He often used the rug to shield it from heat and dust.
“The claim that Hamas was filming Israeli forces from Nasser Hospital is false and fabricated,” said Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office. “Israel is trying to cover up a full-fledged war crime against the hospital, its patients and medical staff.”
Reuters said it reviewed more than 100 videos and photos from the scene and interviewed more than two dozen people to reconstruct the events of the attack.
Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem described the stairwell as “a makeshift newsroom” where journalists had gathered before the strike. Al-Masri’s live broadcast froze moments before the blast, which killed him along with several civil defence workers. A second explosion struck as rescuers rushed in.
“We were rescuing the martyrs and wounded … then a huge explosion among us,” said Reuters cameraman Hatem Khaled.
Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals and other sites protected under international humanitarian law, including schools, shelters, mosques and churches. Its attacks have also killed journalists, medical staff, first responders and humanitarian workers. Despite repeated global calls for investigations, Israel continues to act with impunity while carrying out genocide in Gaza.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Israel has never published the results of a formal investigation nor held anyone accountable for the killings of journalists.
“None of these incidents prompted a meaningful review of Israel’s rules of engagement, nor did international condemnation lead to any change in the pattern of attacks on journalists over the past two years,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.
An Australian medic working at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital says she has lost count of the number of amputations she has had to perform, as two more hospitals were shut down amid Israel’s relentless bombardment of the enclave.
“On the first day, I started off thinking I’ve never seen anything like this, and then in the following days I’ve seen … more. I’ve lost count of the number of amputations I’ve done,” Dr Saya Aziz, an anaesthesiologist, told Al Jazeera.
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“The worst thing is these patients are alive … when we take them into the [operation] theatre they’re alive, they’re bleeding to death,” she said, adding how in the recess area of the hospital, dangling bits of toes and flesh and people with missing limbs have become a common sight.
Dr Aziz, who joined the barely functional medical facility about a week ago, says that as soon as hospital staff members hear a huge bomb, within minutes, the hospital fills up with mass casualties.
“You’ll hear the wailing, the screams, the chaos of family members bringing in the patients … it is a bloodbath,” she said.
The doctor added that the hospital’s operating theatre is also in a sordid state with flies everywhere, while Israel has curbed the entry of aid, including medical supplies, into Gaza.
“Everything is just filthy. I can’t even clean the patients covered in dust, gun powder, we’ve got no gauze … I wish I had a couple of towels, which I could wash the patients with. I have no fluids to clean them with. I have no pain relief to give them. My heart breaks,” Aziz said.
Healthcare crippled by Israeli attacks
Al-Shifa Hospital was once the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, but most of it now lies in ruins after several rounds of intense Israeli ground and air sieges since the start of the war in October 2023.
Gaza’s healthcare facilities have been repeatedly targeted by Israel, including with 2,000-pound bombs supplied by the United States, Israel’s closest ally.
Hundreds of medics have been killed in the 23 months of brutal war that has been dubbed a genocide by numerous rights organisations, including the United Nations.
Dr Adnan Al-Bursh, the head of orthopaedics at al-Shifa Hospital, was tortured to death in an Israeli prison months after he was arrested in December 2023. Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, was arrested last November. He still languishes in an Israeli jail.
Targeting of health facilities, medical personnel and patients is considered a war crime under the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Aziz said that on Sunday, Israel’s attacks also killed one of the hospital’s nursing staff and his wife.
“Their one surviving child, an 11-year-old, had burns on his face. I couldn’t even give him any pain relief,” she said, tearing up.
“His name is Mohammad, and he kept saying, ‘I could see my father, I never even said goodbye to him.’”
Israel has routinely justified its deadly attacks on healthcare facilities across Gaza by saying it was targeting Hamas, though it has never provided any proof for its claims.
But media reports, including from Al Jazeera, have documented evidence of Israel’s targeting of medics and hospitals during the course of the devastating war that has killed more than 65,300 Palestinians.
On Monday, the Gaza Health Ministry said two Gaza City hospitals stopped services due to the escalation of Israel’s ground offensive and damage caused by continued Israeli bombing, as tanks advanced deeper into Gaza City.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza City have been forced to flee, as Israel has vowed to seize the city, which hosted more than a million people ahead of the latest Israeli offensive that began a few weeks ago.
Famine has also spread in Gaza as Israel continues to block the entry of aid. At least 440 people have died due to starvation so far.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that al-Rantissi Children’s Hospital had been badly damaged in an Israeli bombardment a few days ago. It also reported Israeli attacks in the vicinity of the nearby St John Eye Hospital, which forced the suspension of services there, too.
“The occupation deliberately and systematically targets the healthcare system in the Gaza governorate as part of its genocidal policy against the Strip,” it said.
“None of the facilities or hospitals have safe access routes that allow patients and the wounded to reach them,” the ministry added.
But despite Israel’s attacks, doctors at the major urban centre’s al-Shifa Hospital say leaving patients is not an option.
“Our medical crews are still carrying out their humanitarian mission in this hospital complex under heavy pressure,” the director of the hospital, Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, told Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili in Gaza City on Saturday.
“Their message continues: We serve patients and the injured to the best of our abilities.”
