WHO Condemns Destruction of Gaza Hospital
The World Health Organization (WHO) is deeply concerned about the latest attack on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, which has left the last major healthcare facility in the area out of commission. The systematic destruction of the healthcare system and the ongoing blockade of the northern Gaza Strip, now in its 82nd day, poses a threat to the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians living in the area, the organization said on Saturday.
According to initial reports, some areas of the hospital were burned and severely damaged, including the laboratory, surgical department, technical and maintenance department, operating room, and medical storage, the WHO said.
By the end of the day, 12 patients and a health worker were brought to the “destroyed and non-functional Indonesian hospital” where they would no longer receive medical care. Most of the staff, stable patients, and their companions were taken to a nearby location. Additionally, reports suggest that some people were forced to walk to the southern Gaza Strip, naked, the WHO said.
The area around the hospital has been “very unstable” in the past two months, with almost daily attacks on hospitals and medical personnel, the WHO reported. This week, 50 people were killed in bombings in the hospital’s vicinity, including five staff members of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, which is now empty.
“By Friday evening, the remaining 15 critical patients, 50 caregivers, and 20 health workers were relocated to the Indonesian hospital” it was said. “The WHO is deeply concerned about their well-being and that of the Kamal Adwan Hospital director, who was reportedly arrested during the raid and has since lost contact with the WHO” the organization stated.
A WHO mission is planned for Sunday to safely transfer the patients to the southern Gaza Strip for further care.