Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital a 'death zone': WHO

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Nov 2023 11:29
1 Shares

The WHO announces plans for immediate evacuation of Al-Shfia Hospital due to the dire conditions, including a mass grave at the entrance and nearly 300 patients left inside with 25 health workers.

Wounded grandfather and his grandson wait for treatment in the overcrowded emergency ward of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after their home was bombed by an Israeli strike on October 12. (AFP via Getty Images)

Gaza's main hospital Al-Shifa Hospital has been characterized as a "death zone" by the World Health Organization, prompting evacuation plans, while Israeli invading forces announced an expansion of operations.

There are now 25 health workers and 291 patients at Al-Shifa, according to the WHO. Patients include 32 babies in “extremely critical condition," two people in intensive care without ventilation, and 22 dialysis patients whose access to life-saving treatment has been severely compromised.

The assessment followed a visit by WHO and other UN officials to the hospital, which had been raided by Israeli troops earlier in the week.

In a separate incident, over 80 people were reported killed in twin strikes on a northern Gaza refugee camp, including a UN school sheltering displaced individuals.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent revealed that the Israeli occupation army is dealing with all health facilities in Gaza as targets that must be attacked, adding that they can no longer meet the healthcare needs of the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Social media videos verified by AFP depicted heart-wrenching scenes in Jabalia, the largest refugee camp in the Palestinian territory.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, described the images as "horrifying", and Egypt condemned the bombing as a "war crime" and a "deliberate insult to the United Nations."

Another strike in Jabalia camp claimed the lives of 32 people from the same family, including 19 children, according to health authorities in Gaza. To downplay the scale of the massacres, the Israeli army acknowledged an "incident in the Jabalia region" under review.

The Israeli soldier brags about bombing Al-Fakhouri School (UN school) #Gaza #StopGazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/Iuooc0BBmT
— AlTamimi بني تميم (@AltamimiMutaz) November 18, 2023

"They were sleeping..."
The Israeli occupation commits a new massacre at Al-Fakhoura school, which is housing forcefully displaced Palestinians in the Jabalia camp, north of the #Gaza Strip.#GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/6XthKQmqbF
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 18, 2023

Meanwhile, the ongoing air and ground aggression on Gaza has resulted in a total of 12,300 martyrs, with more than 5,000 being children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The UN reported that 1.6 million people were forcibly displaced within the Gaza Strip due to six weeks of aggression. Concurrently, the total Israeli blockade of Gaza has led to shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel.

Only in Gaza: A hospital turned into a "death zone"

The WHO has described Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a "death zone" with plans for immediate evacuation due to the dire conditions, including a mass grave at the entrance and nearly 300 patients left inside with 25 health workers.

An exclusive Al Jazeera footage documenting the first moments of the Israeli army raid yesterday into Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and the forcible evacuation of medical personnel and patients. pic.twitter.com/2CAT0P5J4c
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 19, 2023

On Saturday, hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate the hospital by the Israeli invading forces, and at least 15 bodies were found along the evacuation route. WHO highlighted the critical condition of patients, including 29 with serious spinal injuries, others with infected wounds, and 32 premature babies in extremely critical condition.