2023-11-19 02:17:50
**Humanitarian Team Describes Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a “Death Zone”**
The World Health Organization’s humanitarian assessment team visited the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on Saturday, and what they found was truly alarming. The team described the largest medical complex in the besieged Strip as a “death zone,” with more than 300 people, including patients and medical care providers, still present in the hospital.
Despite the high-risk nature of the mission, the team included public health experts, logistical personnel, and security personnel from various United Nations departments. Due to security risks, the team was only able to spend one hour inside the hospital. The team saw clear signs of bombing and shooting, and they were shown a mass grave at the hospital’s entrance, where more than 80 people were allegedly buried.
The hospital has faced severe shortages of clean water, fuel, medicine, food, and other basic assistance over the past six weeks, causing it to cease functioning as a medical facility. Due to the security situation, staff have been unable to carry out effective waste management, leading to an increased risk of infection for patients and health staff.
The World Health Organization is working with their partners to develop urgent plans for the immediate evacuation of the remaining patients, staff, and their families. Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on Twitter that the hospital is inoperable, with no water, food, or electricity, and exhausted medical supplies.
The organization indicated that the hospital can no longer accept patients, and the wounded and sick are being directed to the overburdened and barely functioning Indonesian Hospital. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus concluded his tweet by calling for the protection of health and civilians, stating that the current situation is unbearable and unjustified.
Reports emerged that the Israeli army is demanding the evacuation of Al-Shifa Hospital within one hour, although the army has stated that it did not request the evacuation of patients or medical staff. However, military spokesman Avichay Adraee confirmed that the IDF will work to allow patients to be transferred to other hospitals if a request for a medical transfer is received.
The situation at Al-Shifa Hospital is a dire reflection of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, with the world watching as the suffering and devastation continue to escalate. The urgent need for humanitarian intervention is clear, and the World Health Organization’s call for the protection of health and civilians must be answered.]
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