WHO: Evacuation orders in Gaza City hinder aid to wounded
Geneva – Ma’an – The World Health Organization sounded the alarm on Tuesday about the escalating medical services crisis in the Gaza Strip, warning that new Israeli evacuation orders in Gaza City are impeding the treatment of the injured.
‘There is no safe corner of Gaza in reality,’ said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement posted on the X platform. ‘Recent reports of evacuation orders in Gaza City will further hamper the delivery of very limited, life-saving care.’
The World Health Organization reported that major hospitals such as Al-Ahli Hospital are out of service, and ‘patients have either been forced to self-evacuate, discharged early before recovering, or referred to other hospitals.’
She added that Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals are facing severe shortages of fuel, beds and medical supplies to treat trauma.
The Indonesian hospital is currently operating at three times its capacity and is struggling to cope with the influx of patients, she said, while Al-Helu Hospit
al, which is among the buildings subject to the evacuation order, continues to operate, but only partially. Meanwhile, Al-Sahaba and Al-Shifa hospitals, which are close to the evacuation areas, are still operating, although their situation is precarious.
She added that in addition, 6 medical institutions and 2 primary health care centers are located within the evacuation areas, which increases the pressure on the health care infrastructure.
In this context, Ghebreyesus warned that these vital medical facilities could soon be out of service due to hostilities in neighboring areas or obstacles to accessing them.
The World Health Organization called for a ceasefire to ensure that medical aid reaches those most in need and that the wounded receive appropriate care.
In the same context, World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said at a United Nations press conference in Geneva that out of 36 hospitals in Gaza, only 13 are operating, and only partially.
Jasarevic explained that “patients and medica
l staff evacuated three hospitals in one week in southern Gaza, fearing that intensified military operations could render health facilities inoperable or inaccessible.”
He stated that “the cumulative capacity of beds in the six partially operating hospitals in southern Gaza, 3 in Deir al-Balah and 3 in Khan Younis, now stands at 1,334 beds.”
“There are a total of 11 field hospitals in the Strip, three of which had to temporarily close, and four of which are partially operational due to hostilities in Rafah and reduced accessibility,” Jasarevic said, adding that “most of the field hospitals in Rafah will move to the central area.”
Jasarevic confirmed that “no WHO trucks crossed into Gaza last week since the Kerem Shalom crossing was closed” by the Israeli occupation authorities.
Source: Maan News Agency