Waste and remnants are strewn around damaged structures close to Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahya, located in the northern Gaza Strip, on October 31, 2024, amidst the continuous conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. — AFP
The World Health Organisation (WHO) voiced profound worry on Tuesday regarding hospitals that are still partially functioning in the war-ravaged northern Gaza, with one hospital director characterizing the scenario as an 'extreme catastrophe'. 'We are exceedingly, exceedingly concerned, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to deliver aid. It's also becoming increasingly challenging to bring in specialized personnel at a time when the need is escalating,' WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris informed journalists in Geneva.
Harris highlighted that the organisation is 'particularly worried about Kamal Adwan Hospital' in Beit Lahia, where Israeli forces initiated an offensive against Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups last month. Kamal Adwan Hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh communicated to AFP via phone: 'The situation in northern Gaza is one of extreme catastrophe. We're starting to lose patients due to the shortage of medical supplies and personnel,' he stated.
Abu Safiyeh further noted that his hospital had been 'targeted numerous times by the occupation forces, most recently' on Monday. 'A significant number of children and elderly individuals continue to arrive suffering from malnutrition,' the doctor mentioned. He accused Israel of 'blocking the entry of food, water, medical staff, and materials intended for the north' of the Gaza Strip.
Harris from WHO estimated that between November 8 and 16, 'four WHO missions we were attempting to dispatch were denied'. 'There's a scarcity of food and drinking water, a shortage of medical supplies. There's really only enough for two weeks at the very best,' she said.
A statement from COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry entity responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, declared on Tuesday: 'COGAT-led humanitarian efforts in the medical field persist.' It mentioned that on Monday, '1,000 blood units were transferred' to Al Sahaba hospital in Gaza City, outside the zone where Israel's military operations are occurring.
In its most recent update on the situation in northern Gaza, the UN humanitarian office OCHA stated on Tuesday that 'access to the Kamal Adwan, Al Awda, and Indonesian hospitals remains severely constrained amid severe shortages of medical supplies, fuel, and blood units'.
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