Geneva – Together – The World Health Organization condemned the massive destruction that occurred to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a result of the recent Israeli siege, and it has become an ’empty structure’ except for corpses.
The occupation forces withdrew completely from inside Al-Shifa Hospital and the residential neighborhoods surrounding it, at dawn last Monday, towards the areas south of the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood, southwest of Gaza City, after storming into Njou for two weeks.
A World Health Organization mission was able to enter the hospital yesterday, Friday, after several failed attempts since March 25, according to the United Nations body, which condemned the massive destruction there.
‘The World Health Organization and its partners were able to gain access to the Al-Shifa Complex, which was once the backbone of the health system in Gaza, and which is now an empty shell except for human graves after the recent siege,’ said a post by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the X plat
form.
Tedros said the team saw “at least five bodies during the mission.”
He added that the team members also noticed that “the majority of the buildings of the hospital complex suffered massive damage and that most of the assets were damaged or turned into ashes.”
He continued, “Even restoring the operational minimum in the short term does not seem possible,” adding, “An in-depth evaluation by a team of engineers is needed to determine whether the remaining buildings are safe for future use.”
Tedros expressed his regret that efforts by the World Health Organization and other relief organizations to resume basic services at Al-Shifa Hospital after Israel’s first devastating raid on the hospital last year “were in vain, and people were once again deprived of access to life-saving health care services.”
Of the 36 main hospitals in Gaza, only ten are partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization.
Tedros stressed that there is a need to take urgent action in Gaza with ‘looming famine, ou
tbreaks of disease, and increasing traumatic injuries.’
He called for “protecting the remaining health facilities in Gaza and protecting health and humanitarian workers.”
The Director-General of the World Health Organization called for “unhindered access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip” and for a “ceasefire.”
Source: Maan News Agency
