Geneva, November 14 (RHC)-- The World Health Organization has warned of a “dire” situation in hospitals in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s all-out 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.
Meanwhile, reports said the situation in Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the south of Gaza is “catastrophic”, amid a “lack of all services” that put the lives of hundreds of wounded people “at risk.”
That comes as Israel has intensified its strikes on the southern city of Khan Yunis despite the regime’s own warnings that called on people in the north of Gaza to evacuate and move to the south.
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.
Israeli forces have also surrounded medical facilities in the north of Gaza, including al-Shifa Hospital.
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.
