WHO Calls for End to Attacks on Hospitals in Gaza
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called for an end to attacks on hospitals in Gaza, after Israel struck one and raided another in recent days. According to the WHO, hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds, and the health system is under severe threat.
Tedros condemned the attack on Al Wafa hospital in Gaza City, which the Palestinian civil defense said killed seven people. He also expressed concern over the detention of over 240 Palestinians, including dozens of medical staff from Kamal Adwan hospital, and called for the immediate release of the hospital’s director, Hussam Abu Safiya, who was suspected of being a Hamas operative.
The WHO Director-General emphasized the need for ceasefire and access to health care and humanitarian aid in Gaza. He urged Israel to ensure the health care needs and rights of Palestinians in Gaza are upheld. The organization has delivered medical supplies, food, and water to Gaza’s Indonesian hospital and transferred critical patients to Al Shifa hospital.
At least 45,514 Palestinians have been killed and 108,189 wounded in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s health ministry.