The World Health Organization has warned of a “dire” situation in hospitals in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s all-out airstrikes and ground invasion.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the situation at al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in Gaza, was “dire and perilous” amid “constant” Israeli bombings and gunfire.
He noted that al-Shifa was “not functioning as a hospital anymore” with no electricity and water.
The WHO chief also slammed the failure of the international community to put an end to the Palestinians’ plight, and called for an immediate ceasefire as deaths among patients are rising “tragically.”
“The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation, and despair,” he said in a post on X.
.@WHO has managed to get in touch with health professionals at the Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza.
The situation is dire and perilous.
It’s been 3 days without electricity, without water and with very poor internet which has severely impacted our ability to provide essential…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 12, 2023
On Sunday, al-Shifa and Al-Quds, which is Gaza’s second-biggest hospital, said that they had suspended operations amid Israeli strikes and siege.
Nidal Abu Hadrous, a neurosurgeon working at al-Shifa Hospital, said patients and staff were facing a “disastrous” situation.
“This can’t last long. Urgent intervention to save the staff and the patients is required,” Abu Hadrous told Al Jazeera.
Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza also suspended operations after its main generator ran out of fuel.
Al-Shifa Hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya also said Israeli claims that it offered fuel is “propaganda.”
“Israel wants to show the world that it is not killing babies. It wants to whitewash its image with 300 liters of fuel, which barely lasts 30 minutes,” Abu Salmiya told Al Jazeera.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have repeatedly targeted hospitals, residential buildings, mosques, and churches. Under the Geneva Convention, attacks on hospitals are strictly prohibited.
On October 17, hundreds of civilians were killed and injured by Israeli airstrikes on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. The attack has been condemned as an act of genocide by many governments around the world.
Israeli forces have also surrounded medical facilities in the north of Gaza, including al-Shifa Hospital.
Several hospitals in Gaza City have become refuges for Palestinians hoping to be spared Israeli bombardments, which began early in October.
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has urged the United Nations secretary-general to form an international committee to visit hospitals in the besieged strip to counter Israel’s “false” claims that they are used as launch pad for anti-Israel operations.
Hamas has noted that the claims are aimed to “justify” Israel’s attacks on hospitals in Gaza.
The Israeli aggression has so far killed at least 11,078 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The death toll hasn’t been updated since Friday because of the collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the strip.
