WHO Answers: What is the Situation of Hospitals in Gaza

October 13, 2023

Bodies are piling up outside the Shifa Hospital morgue. (Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff

There is no room in hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip and Israeli airstrikes have left Gaza’s health system “on the verge of collapse”, according to the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, at least 10 paramedics have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its latest military operation on the besieged Strip, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

WHO: On the Verge of Collapse

Due to the Israeli decision to cut off fuel, electricity, and water, Gaza’s hospitals now only have a few hours of electricity a day.

Therefore, WHO has called for an immediate end to hostilities and the protection of healthcare facilities.

In a statement issued on Friday, the WHO said that “the crisis in Gaza is worsening as the number of infections rises due to a severe shortage of medical supplies.”

“We call for the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor to ensure that there are no obstacles to the entry of health and humanitarian supplies.”

International Red Cross: Beyond Imagination

The International Committee also issued a statement on Thursday, warning that besieged Gaza still has some fuel to operate generators but it could run out “in hours.”

In a separate statement on Friday, the Red Cross called for the protection of “Gaza’s civilians and infrastructure,” adding: 

“Our teams’ reports from Gaza are beyond imagination. The sequence of events is moving towards disastrous prospects”.

(The Palestine Chronicle)