The situation at the hospital was “desperate”, said the WHO statement on the experts’ visit. 291 patients and 25 medical staff are still in the hospital. The WHO wants to organize several missions in the coming days to quickly take patients to the Nasser Hospital and the European Hospital in the Gaza Strip, despite them already being overcrowded.
“The current situation is unbearable and unjustifiable,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X (Twitter). He also called for a ceasefire. In the hospital there is no water, no electricity, no food and almost no medical needs.
Today @WHO led a very high risk @UN assessment mission to Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza.
The team saw a hospital no longer able to function: no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel, no medical supplies.
Given this deplorable situation and the condition of many patients,…
-Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 18, 2023
WHO: Hospital can no longer fulfill its function
The team of experts found a mass grave at the entrance to the hospital and was informed that more than 80 people were buried there, the WHO wrote in its statement. There were traces of shots and shots. Hospital corridors and grounds are filled with medical and other waste, which increases the risk of infection. The hospital essentially no longer functions as a medical center.
According to the WHO report, the majority of patients staying at Al-Shifa Hospital have suffered complex fractures or amputations, burns, and chest or abdominal injuries. 29 patients had serious spinal injuries and were unable to move without medical help. Many injured people also suffered from serious infections due to a lack of antibiotics and poor hygiene conditions.
debate
Middle East: How to break the spiral of violence?
Al-Shifa Hospital is contested
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel began attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip and ground troops have already moved to the area. Al-Shifa Hospital was at the center of fighting early last week when Israeli forces searched the site and said they found weapons, ammunition and equipment belonging to Hamas terrorists.
Israel accuses Hamas of establishing a large command center in and below Al-Shifa Hospital. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke explicitly about the discovery of an underground Hamas command center. There is no evidence of this yet.
Portal/Ahmed El Mokhallalati Israel says Hamas has set up a command center around Al-Shifa Hospital
According to Israeli data, around 1,200 people have been killed and around 240 people have been taken hostage in the Gaza Strip since the attacks began. According to Hamas, around 12,300 people have been killed in Palestinian territory since the start of the war. Information cannot be independently verified.
Netanyahu under pressure
Netanyahu is under increasing pressure over hostages kidnapped by Hamas and his handling of the war. Tens of thousands of participants in a hostage protest march arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday. They demonstrated in front of Netanyahu’s official residence and demanded that the government make an immediate agreement to release the hostages who have been detained in the Gaza Strip for six weeks.
Tens of thousands of protesters in Israel
Tens of thousands of participants in a protest march for hostages held by the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas arrived in Jerusalem on Saturday. They wanted to move there, to the official residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, numerous people left Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which had recently been heavily contested.
Several hundred people also demonstrated against the Gaza war in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. The demonstration on the beach promenade took place at the initiative of the left-wing Chadash party, as reported by Israeli media. Jewish and Arab Israelis protested together against the continuation of the military operation in the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday night, rumors initially emerged that there was a preliminary agreement on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. There is no deal yet, the White House said on Saturday night (local time), but they are working hard on it. According to the Washington Post, the release of the hostages could begin in the coming days, as long as there are no last-minute problems.