The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced the "decimation" of Gaza's healthcare system, repeating the call for a permanent ceasefire in the Strip, in a Sunday post on X. 

The decimation of the #Gaza health system is a tragedy.

But in the face of constant insecurity and inflows of wounded patients, we see doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and more continue striving to save lives.@WHO and our health partners will continue working side by side… pic.twitter.com/Lq62KoQI1f

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 24, 2023

He commended the medical personnel who have been working tirelessly and relentlessly at exponentially accelerated rates due to continuous Israeli bombardments, which have killed over 20,000 martyrs and injured 54,036 Palestinians since October 7. 

The WHO had repeatedly called for the protection of hospitals, civilians, and medical personnel, and a ceasefire in Gaza to restrict the damage and limit casualties, but in vain.

Read more: WHO members urge "Israel" to protect humanitarian workers

Al Shifa ER: A bloodbath

Last week, the organization described the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a "bloodbath" as "Israel's" war strategy hits hospitals and medical complexes.

Members from the WHO and UN agencies were able to deliver limited medical supplies to the hospital on Saturday, but highlighted the "severe shortage of food and water" on its grounds, as thousands of displaced Palestinians sought shelter in it. 

"The team described the emergency department as a 'bloodbath', with hundreds of injured patients inside, and new patients arriving every minute," the WHO said, adding that "patients with trauma injuries were being sutured on the floor... (and) no pain management is available". 

It was also reported that out of the 36 hospitals in Gaza, only 9, all located in southern Gaza, are functioning at partial rates. On a mission to Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals, team members from the WHO described "unbearable" scenes of abandoned patients and children pleading for food and water. 

Al-Shifa hospital in northern #Gaza is trying to resume its operations to serve thousands of patients again, but the situation is still unbelievably challenging and chaotic, and the hospital is in need of resuscitation — high-risk @WHO mission finds.

A WHO-led team of @UN… pic.twitter.com/aNqrVlE62G

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 16, 2023

On X, Ghebreyesus stated "A WHO-led team of UN experts reached al-Shifa today to deliver essential medical supplies and assess priority health needs," he posted, adding that al-Shifa is trying to operate again but the situation remains "unbelievably challenging and chaotic."

Previously, 'Israel' warned the WHO to withdraw medical supplies from two warehouses in southern Gaza, claiming that it was necessary since its ground operations in southern Gaza would render the supplies useless.

ISRAELI SOLDIERS BURN HUMANITARIAN AID

Immoral and disgusting pic.twitter.com/YNM6Fml2Ol

— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) December 11, 2023

Gaza's healthcare system: Catastrophe, Disaster, Apocalypse

Dr. Marwan al-Hamase, who serves as the director of Rafah's Abu Yousef al-Najjar Hospital, reported that his modest facility was currently hosting hundreds of displaced individuals who had to sleep on floors where the injured were being treated. Dr. al-Hamase highlighted that these floors had not been cleaned for weeks due to the unavailability of cleaning products.

The situation has escalated to a point where malnutrition is spiraling out of control, according to Dr. al-Hamase. He noted a significant rise in cases of anemia and dehydration among children, with the number nearly tripling.

The Israeli occupation is using starvation as a tool against #Gazans.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor revealed alarming figures regarding the starvation in the #Gaza Strip last week.

The study revealed that 71% of the Gaza population is grappling with acute hunger, while 98%… pic.twitter.com/gmMXRGulYp

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 23, 2023

Displaced Palestinians seeking shelter in UN-managed facilities are having to use communal bathrooms lacking running water. The accumulation of fecal matter on the streets poses a risk of disease spread and further contamination of water sources, warned Shannon Barkley, the health systems team lead at the World Health Organization’s offices in Gaza and the West Bank.

Read more: Infectious diseases sweeping Gaza; another blow to healthcare system