Only a quarter of Gaza’s hospitals are still functioning, with about 26 out of 36 institutions now closed — either because they have been damaged or because they ran out of fuel, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
The U.N. health agency has lost contact with health workers at Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva. He said the Israeli military raid of the institution “totally unacceptable.”
Quick Read
- WHO on Gaza’s Hospitals: The World Health Organization reported that only a quarter of Gaza’s hospitals are operational, with 26 out of 36 closed due to damage or fuel shortages.
- Situation at Shifa Hospital: WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the Israeli military raid on Shifa Hospital as “totally unacceptable.” Approximately 82 bodies were buried in a mass grave, with 80 bodies unburied. Critical shortages of oxygen, water, and fuel are reported.
- Plan for Patient Evacuation: The WHO is considering an evacuation plan for about 2,000 critically ill patients from Gaza, potentially to Egypt, over the next three months.
- Awda Hospital in Northern Gaza: Dr. Ahmed Mhanna, manager of Awda Hospital, reported that around 40 patients are treated daily despite the hospital’s main generator being non-functional. The area around the hospital is heavily bombed.
- Netanyahu’s Visit to Israeli Troops: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops near Gaza, asserting that Israel will reach any area in Gaza to eliminate Hamas and retrieve abductees.
The Associated Press has the story:
World Health Organization: ‘3/4 of Gaza’s hospitals aren’t working’
Newslook- GENEVA (AP)
Only a quarter of Gaza’s hospitals are still functioning, with about 26 out of 36 institutions now closed — either because they have been damaged or because they ran out of fuel, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.
The U.N. health agency has lost contact with health workers at Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza Strip, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva. He said the Israeli military raid of the institution “totally unacceptable.”
Approximately 82 bodies from Shifa were buried in a mass grave Wednesday, with another 80 bodies left unburied, said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the West Bank and Gaza. He said about 45 patients were receiving dialysis and that there were no central supplies of oxygen, water or fuel.
Peeperkorn said several organizations, including the WHO, were “urgently exploring the possibility of an evacuation of patients and medical staff.” He called for a plan to evacuate about 2,000 critically ill patients out of Gaza over the next three months, possibly to Egypt.
A HOSPTIAL IN NORTHERN GAZA TREATS DOZENS OF PATIENTS EACH DAY, AS ISRAELI BOMBS FALL
CAIRO — Around 40 patients a day are coming in to Awda Hospital in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza, said Dr. Ahmed Mhanna, the hospital’s manager.
Awda Hospital is still operating but the facility’s main generator is no longer functioning, he said, and the hospital is also delivering around 20 babies each day, he said.
“The situation is critical,” he said in a recorded message. Jabaliya has been heavily bombed since Oct. 7.
Mhanna said that Israel strikes were still pounding the areas immediately around the hospital, with shrapnel striking the building. Eight staff members have been injured from the bombing, he added.
NETANYAHU VISITS ISRAELI TROOPS NEAR GAZA
ZIKIM, Israel — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told troops at the Zikim military base near north Gaza: “There is no place in Gaza that Israel will not reach.”
Standing next to soldiers at the base, Netanyahu said: “Do you remember when we were told that we would not break into Gaza? We broke through. We were told that we would not reach the outskirts of Gaza City – we arrived. We were told that we won’t enter Shifa – we entered.
“There is no hiding, no shelter, no refuge for the murderers of Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “We will arrive and eliminate Hamas and return our abductees – these are two sacred missions.”
