Gaza: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on Wednesday that the intensified Israeli ground operations in Gaza, coupled with new evacuation requests, have pushed the health system beyond the point of collapse.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Ghebreyesus highlighted that the Indonesian, Kamal Adwan, and Al-Awda hospitals, along with three clinics and four health points, are situated within the evacuation zone announced by the Israeli occupation army on Tuesday. He further noted that two other hospitals, four clinics, and six health points are located within one kilometer of the specified area.
Ghebreyesus also reported that the European Gaza Hospital and other health points in southern Gaza fall within the evacuation zones announced on Monday. The Nasser Medical Complex, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, five clinics, and 17 health points are approximately one kilometer from this area.
He expressed concern that even if health facilities in Gaza are not directly attacked or forced to evacuate, the ongoing attacks and the presence of soldiers impede patient access to healthcare and prevent WHO from resupplying hospitals. This situation could rapidly disrupt hospital operations.
Ghebreyesus reiterated the WHO's call for the immediate protection of health services, stressing the importance of not targeting hospitals and the urgent need for a ceasefire.
