Gaza, WHO raises alarm: “Contacts lost with Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of the Strip”
The facility has been under siege for three weeks by the Israeli army, which invaded the area with infantry forces
ROME – “Since reports of a raid on Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza arrived this morning, we have lost contact with the staff there.” The blood-curdling words are those of the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus who published a post on Twitter with the latest updates on Kamal Adwan hospital surrounded last night by Israeli ground forces.
“This development is deeply disturbing, given the number of patients being treated and people taking refuge there. Previously, the World Health Organization and its partners managed to reach Kamal Adwan hospital last night, despite hostilities nearby, and transferred 23 patients and 26 health workers to Al-Shifa hospital. The team also delivered 180 units of blood, trauma and surgical supplies and medicines to over 5,000 patients,” Ghebreyesus explained. The Director General also described the conditions the facility was in before he lost contact: “Kamal Adwan Hospital was overflowing with almost 200 patients, a constant flow of horrific trauma cases. It is also full of hundreds of people seeking refuge. Accessing hospitals in Gaza is becoming increasingly difficult and is exposing our staff to unnecessary danger. The mission returned at 3:30 in the morning. We call for an immediate ceasefire and protection of hospitals, patients, health workers and aid workers. Everyone in Gaza needs peace,” he concluded.
Kamal Adwan Hospital is one of the last medical facilities still operating in the northern Gaza Strip, which has been under a three-week siege by the Israeli army, which has invaded the area with infantry forces. According to the director of the facility that serves two-thirds of the population of the north, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the situation is “catastrophic”: the hospital has run out of supplies, while following last night’s attack, various departments were seriously damaged, including the intensive care unit. This has compromised the distribution of oxygen for 150 patients and 14 newborns. Some of them are said to have already died, but the exact estimate is unclear.