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“Al Ahli Hospital is no longer operational,” stated Dr. Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the WHO, following an airstrike that occurred early on Sunday morning. “The pharmacy has been destroyed, and various buildings and services have sustained severe damage.”
Currently, around 40 patients whose conditions are too serious to transfer are still receiving treatment at the facility. The remaining 50 patients, including a child who has since died, were evacuated to other medical centers just before the assault began.
Critical Shortages of Supplies
According to Dr. Harris, the situation is dire, with medical supplies of all types now “desperately low.” She also voiced significant concerns regarding the safety of medical personnel working at the damaged hospital.
Data from the UN health agency reveals that only 21 out of the 36 hospitals in Gaza are still operational, and nearly all have been subjected to damage during the ongoing conflict, which erupted following Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, resulting in approximately 1,250 fatalities and over 250 hostages taken.
The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has vehemently condemned the attack and reiterated calls for a ceasefire, emphasizing that hospitals are afforded special protection under international humanitarian law: “Attacks on health care facilities must cease. Once again, we urge that patients, healthcare workers, and hospitals be safeguarded. The blockade on aid must be lifted.”
Aid organizations have pointed out that the strike on the hospital has significantly intensified the pressure on the remaining partially functioning hospitals in the war-torn region.
“Mass casualty incidents have now become commonplace, and hospitals providing trauma care are operating under critical shortages of necessary supplies, including essential medications,” noted Olga Cherevko from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as reported by UN News.
It has been seven weeks since crossings for relief supplies destined for Gaza were closed, and nearly a month since the resumption of Israeli bombings amid ongoing disputes between Israel and Hamas regarding the terms for a ceasefire. These terms involve the release of hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
According to OCHA, over 390,000 individuals have been displaced since the renewed Israeli bombardments began on March 18.
In the past few days, senior UN officials have dismissed Israeli claims that there is sufficient food to sustain all Palestinians, asserting that these statements are “far from the reality on the ground.” The UN’s chief emergency relief official, Tom Fletcher, has also remarked that aid teams are “systematically obstructed from saving lives in Gaza,” leading to further civilian casualties.
Gazan health authorities report that more than 50,000 Palestinians have lost their lives and at least 115,688 have been injured throughout the conflict, including 1,449 killed and 3,647 wounded since the escalation of hostilities on March 18.
“The supplies we have are quickly depleting, and we are running out of food, medicine, shelter, and other essential items. If the situation does not improve immediately, the catastrophe in Gaza will worsen, and the needs of the people will grow even more severe. This cannot go on. Civilians must be protected, and crossings must be reopened without delay,” Ms. Cherevko emphasized.
Source
news.un.org