WHO expresses 'deep concern' over IOF's attacks on Gaza hospitals
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The WHO chief's concerns come after the Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Kheir Hospital and besieged Al-Amal Hospital.
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A Palestinian man mourns over the body of a child killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 (AP)
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concerns about Israeli military conduct in Gaza after the Israeli occupation forces raided Al-Kheir Hospital and besieged Al-Amal Hospital.
Ghebreyesus, in a post on social media on Monday, described the reports of continuous fighting in the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital and the raid at Al-Kheir Hospital in Gaza as “deeply worrisome".
The ongoing attacks on Khan Younis on Monday were dubbed Gaza’s bloodiest of the new year so far.
"We are deeply concerned by reports of continuous fighting in the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital, and today's raid at Al-Kheir Hospital in Gaza are deeply worrisome," the WHO chief said.
“Not only do they put patients and people seeking safety within these facilities at risk, but they also prevent newly injured people outside the hospitals from being reached and receiving care. This must end,” he added.
We are deeply concerned by reports of continuous fighting in the vicinity of Al-Amal Hospital, and today's raid at Al-Kheir Hospital in #Gaza are deeply worrisome.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 22, 2024
Not only do they put patients and people seeking safety within these facilities at risk, but they also prevent…
'Israel's' war on hospitals
Palestinian officials revealed that due to the danger imposed by the IOF on the hospitals, patients were cut off from medical care.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in Gaza, said that Israeli soldiers arrested the medical staff in the raid of Al-Kheir hospital, depriving patients of getting the medical care they needed.
Moreover, the Palestinian Red Crescent revealed that contact with the staff there was fully cut, as Israeli forces surrounded and imposed a siege on Al-Amal Hospital.
This marks the first time the Israeli military mobilized toward al-Mawazi district, west of Khan Younis, and the consequences have been detrimental. The IOF's bloody attacks on Khan Younis killed over 50 martyrs on Monday night, but medical rescue teams and ambulances were not allowed near the vicinity to transport the bodies of martyrs and the injured to nearby hospitals.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent also reported that Israeli attacks targeted its headquarters with artillery shelling and drones, putting its members in danger and preventing them from carrying out missions to rescue the injured.
“Israeli Occupation targets the PRCS’s headquarters in Khan Younis with artillery shelling on the fourth floor, coinciding with intense gunfire from Israeli drones, resulting in injuries among internally displaced individuals who sought safety on our premises,” the organization said on X.
🚨Urgent : Continued gunfire from the Israeli drones targets anyone moving around Al-Amal Hospital. PRCS ambulances are unable to reach the injured in Khan Younis governorate.#NotATarget ❌#Gaza #IHL
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) January 23, 2024
The spokesperson for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Tommaso Della Longa also expressed deep worries about what is happening in their hospital.
The PRCS are announcing updates on their X page. Israeli attacks are still ongoing near Al-Amal and across Khan Younis as of now, with reports saying this is the most vigorous attack Palestinians in Gaza have seen since October.
Gaza's Ministry of Health revealed that the death toll has surpassed 25,000 martyrs. Gaza is currently battling illness, disease, injuries, and death with each Israeli bombardment. However, this does not seem to quench "Israel's" thirst for blood. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Security Minister, said that "Israel" would not stop until Hamas is defeated and that the war will continue to expand.
