By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – World Health Organization on Friday said that one of the last partially functional health centres in northern Gaza was hit several times overnight into Friday, left 4 health workers among the casualties and the dead.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory said “All night, there was heavy bombing around the Kamal Adwan Hospital”, said.
He reported that an Israel Defense Forces tank was seen outside the hospital at around 4am on Friday, while people were told to move out the health centre.
“There was no official evacuation order,” he maintained, but instead, rumours and panic.
“People started to climb the wall to escape, and this panic attracted IDF fire. There are reports of deaths and arrests.”
The veteran UN humanitarian worker explained that very few aid deliveries and emergency health teams have reached Kamal Adwan Hospital since the beginning of the Israeli military operation in Gaza’s far north in early October. This has left the facility without critical reserves, including fuel.
Dr. Peeperkorn stressed that after 7 weeks of unsuccessful attempts and denied requests for access, an international Emergency Medical Team with basic supplies was finally deployed to Kamal Adwan “less than a week ago”, only to be told to leave again seven days later.
The team comprised two surgeons, two emergency nurses, one gynaecologist and one logistician.
“They are just there, and within one week they are gone again. This is not only for me incomprehensible but also incredibly, incredibly sad,” said the senior WHO medic, who added that no surgeons remain at Kamal Adwan Hospital.
WHO reported that 58 per cent of the 273 WHO led missions inside Gaza have been either denied, cancelled or impeded.
It is extremely difficult task to evacuate patients who need specialist medical support outside Gaza.
Some 5,325 patients have been evacuated from Gaza since the war began.
It noted that over 5,000 travelled via the Rafah crossing before it was closed last 7 May, including 4,000 children.
WHO estimates 12,000 patients across Gaza still need medical evacuation to survive.
It added that 44,612 Palestinians have been killed and 105,834 wounded since the war started on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian health authorities.
The majority of those killed were women and children, it concluded.
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