WHO: planning underway to evacuate three Gaza hospitals. On Tuesday, a representative for the World Health Organization stated that three hospitals in the area of Gaza that is under Israeli siege had requested assistance with the evacuation of patients and that preparation had begun.
The confrontation between Israel and Hamas has resulted in the bombardment of hospitals, and all hospitals in the northern portion of the enclave have practically ceased working correctly. However, some patients who were unable to evacuate and displaced Gazans are still being housed in these hospitals.
Christian Lindmeier, a representative for the WHO, stated that evacuations were a last resort. During a press event in Geneva, he stated: “It is depriving the entire population of the north of the means to seek health care.” He said the three hospitals were the Indonesian Hospital, the Al Ahli Hospital, and the Al Shifa Hospital. A group of infants had already been rescued from the Al Shifa Hospital. “So far, it’s only in the planning stages with no further details,” he explained.
During the same briefing, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) issued a warning about the potential for a “mass disease outbreak,” which might lead to an increase in the number of children who pass away in the densely populated enclave, where thousands of people are squeezed into cramped shelters.
“If children’s access to water and sanitation in Gaza continues to be restricted and insufficient, we will see a tragic, yet entirely avoidable, surge in the number of children dying,” according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder.
