Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has called for adherence to international humanitarian law, emphasizing the critical need for civilians in Gaza to access healthcare and humanitarian aid.
In a statement published on his official X platform account, Ghebreyesus highlighted the challenges faced by WHO and its partners in fulfilling their mission in Gaza due to severe delays at checkpoints and ongoing hostilities.
He noted that the WHO team was only partially successful in its efforts at the Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals.
The mission managed to evacuate only four critically ill patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital, along with their caregivers, including one individual at risk of leg amputation.
This plea underscores the dire situation in Gaza where continued conflict impedes essential health services and humanitarian assistance, risking countless lives.
A report by Save the Children International confirmed that the rate of monthly attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli occupation forces’ aggression is higher than any recent conflict globally, averaging 73 attacks per month, according to WHO.
The report noted that, as of early April 2024, at least 435 attacks on healthcare facilities or workers in Gaza have occurred during the six months of conflict from 7 October 2023, which is equivalent to 73 attacks per month.
This number exceeds the monthly number of attacks in all other war-torn countries since 2018, including Ukraine with the second highest at 67 attacks per month, and the Democratic Republic of Congo at an average of 11 attacks per month.
The report also stated that attacks on healthcare were not limited to Gaza in the occupied Palestinian territories, as 369 attacks were also reported in the occupied West Bank over the past six months. These include 302 obstructions to access healthcare services and the use of force within health facilities.
