Israeli Army’s Invasion of Al-Shifa Hospital ‘Totally Unacceptable’ – WHO Director General

November 15, 2023

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry, via TASS)

The Israeli army’s invasion of the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip is totally unacceptable, WHO Director-General said during a briefing in Geneva.

The Israeli army’s invasion of the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip is totally unacceptable, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday.

“The Israeli military invasion of the Al-Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza is totally unacceptable,” he said, underscoring that “hospitals are not battlefields.”

Ghebreyesus pointed out that medical facilities, personnel and vehicles “must be protected from any warfare” under international humanitarian law.

The Organization is very concerned over the safety of the hospital’s staff and patients, he said, adding that the WHO has “lost communication with medical personnel in the Al-Shifa.”

Israeli forces stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City on Wednesday, turning it into military barracks and a detention center.

According to the Gaza government’s media office, there are currently over 9,000 people inside the hospital, including patients, medical staff and displaced Palestinians. 

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel has, thus far, killed over 11,500 Palestinians, including 4,710 children.

The Israeli army continues to pound civilian homes throughout the Gaza Strip with new massacres reported everywhere in the besieged enclave.

(PC, RT)