A key hospital in central Gaza “must continue to function,” the head of the World Health Organization said Sunday, after several aid agencies pulled medical staff from the facility, citing increased Israeli military activity in the area.
In a statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Al-Aqsa Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah “is the most important hospital left in central Gaza” and demanded that the facility, its staff, patients and their families located near it is The facilities are protected from ongoing hostilities.
“Three months into this conflict, it is inconceivable that this most essential need – health care security – is not assured,” he said.
Aid group Medical Assistance for Palestinians (MAP) and an emergency medical team from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) announced their withdrawal from Al-Aqsa Hospital on Sunday after the Israeli army ordered Palestinians to evacuate to “shelters” in central Gaza. Zone Doctors Without Borders said on Saturday it would evacuate its staff working in al-Aqsa due to artillery fire in the area.
No hospitals are fully operational in northern Gaza and only a “handful” of health facilities are operating in other parts of the region, Tedros said in his statement.
He said representatives of the WHO and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs visited Al-Aqsa Hospital on Sunday and a large number of injured were taken for immediate treatment.
“WHO staff saw sickening scenes of people of all ages being treated on blood-stained floors and in chaotic corridors. An unidentified child lay dead on the bed, partially covered by a sheet. Other injured people fell to the ground being trampled by health workers and family members,” the statement said.
Tedros said evacuation orders and a lack of security had forced most medical workers to leave. “Reports tonight suggest there are only 5 doctors left. The hospital management said the health workers do not have food,” he said.
CNN could not independently confirm the details of his statement. The Israel Defense Forces have said they do not normally attack medical facilities, but have accused Hamas of using them as cover for military activities and reserved the right to attack them if necessary.
Tedros said the WHO was planning to facilitate the deployment of an emergency medical team to support Al-Aqsa’s overstretched doctors and nurses, but that would only be possible in a safe environment.
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