The World Health Organization has verified more than 250 attacks on hospitals, clinics, patients and ambulances in Gaza since Hamas’ incursion into Israel on Oct. 7 — as well as 25 attacks on health care in Israel. In Gaza, the “health system is on its knees” and the situation on the ground “is impossible to describe,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Quick Read
- WHO Report on Attacks on Healthcare in Gaza and Israel:
- The WHO verified over 250 attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel in Gaza since October 7.
- Additionally, 25 attacks on healthcare have been reported in Israel.
- Dire Situation in Gaza’s Health System:
- WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described Gaza’s health system as severely compromised.
- He reported recent attacks outside al-Shifa and Rantisi hospitals in Gaza.
- Impact on Hospitals and Healthcare Centers:
- Multiple hospitals in Gaza have been attacked, significantly reducing their operational capacity.
- Half of Gaza’s hospitals and two-thirds of primary health care centers are non-functional.
- Remaining facilities are overwhelmed and operating beyond capacity.
The Associated Press has the story:
WHO Director: More than 250 attacks on Gaza Health Care System
Newslooks- UNITED NATIONS (AP)
The World Health Organization has verified more than 250 attacks on hospitals, clinics, patients and ambulances in Gaza since Hamas’ incursion into Israel on Oct. 7 — as well as 25 attacks on health care in Israel.
In Gaza, the “health system is on its knees” and the situation on the ground “is impossible to describe,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
“As we speak, there are reports of firing outside the al-Shifa and Rantisi hospitals,” he said, adding that Palestinian health workers were still saving lives despite being “directly in the firing line.”
Last week saw attacks on five hospitals in one day in Gaza, Ghebreyesus said, and in the past 48 hours four hospitals with some 430 beds were put out of action.
He said half of the Gaza Strip’s 36 hospitals and two-thirds of its primary health care centers are not functioning, and facilities that are functioning “are operating way beyond their capacities.”
