World Health Organization: Doctors and Patients are Fleeing Remaining Hospitals in Gaza

On Tuesday, January 9, WHO officials expressed concern over the potential collapse of hospital equipment in southern and central Gaza, citing the flight of hundreds of medical staff and patients from medical centers in Gaza. Amidst heavy bombardments of Gaza by Israel in response to Hamas's terrorist attack on October 7, only one-third of Gaza's hospitals are operational, with some departments in several of them out of service. Fighting has intensified in central and southern areas, putting additional pressure on the remaining hospitals. Shan Casey, WHO's medical emergency team coordinator in Gaza, stated, 'We are witnessing an escalation of hostilities around Al-Aqsa Hospital and near the European Hospital in Gaza and Nasser Hospital.' He added, 'We cannot afford to lose these medical facilities; they must be fully protected; this is the last line of health protection that Gaza has.' Two days prior, during a visit to Al-Aqsa Hospital, he noted that 70% of the staff had left their posts, and hundreds of patients who were standing had fled the hospital. He mentioned that at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, there was only one doctor for every hundred burn patients, as many staff members had joined hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents who have taken refuge in shelters at the southernmost point of Gaza. Shan Casey remarked, 'Healthcare workers cannot go to work because they fear for their lives... Patients are also afraid, and their families are afraid to go to the hospital because they might lose their lives on the way.' He added, 'We are witnessing a rapid collapse of the health system.' Dick Piepercorn, WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories, also stated that delivering health supplies in Gaza is becoming increasingly difficult for WHO every day, adding, 'What we are witnessing is a complex and deteriorating humanitarian space as hostilities move south, limiting access.' The UN has warned about the risk of 'malnutrition' in Gaza; one in four people is hungry. A US intelligence assessment indicated that Hamas has used Shifa Hospital as a command center. WHO is concerned about the outbreak of infectious diseases in Gaza. A UN Security Council resolution for humanitarian aid to Gaza has been passed. The director of the detained Gaza hospital admitted to being a Hamas member. Israel has thwarted a 'cyber attack' by the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah on a hospital.