Israeli Assault: WHO Says Gaza’s Largest Hospital ‘Not Functioning’

The largest hospital in Gaza has ceased to function and fatalities among patients are rising, the Head of the World Health Organization (WHO) says, as a fierce Israeli assault continues in the Hamas-controlled strip.

Hospitals in the North of the Palestinian enclave, including the al-Shifa complex, are blockaded by Israeli Forces and barely able to care for those inside, with three newborns dead and more at risk from power outages amid intense fighting nearby, according to medical staff.

The WHO managed to speak to health professionals at al-Shifa, who described a “dire and perilous” situation with constant gunfire and bombing exacerbating the already critical situation, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Tragically, the number of patient fatalities has increased significantly,” he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, adding that al-Shifa was “not functioning as a hospital anymore”.

The President of Indonesia, home to the world’s biggest Muslim population, also called for a ceasefire ahead of meeting U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday.

“A ceasefire must be implemented soon, we also must accelerate and increase the amount of humanitarian aid, and we must begin peace negotiations,” President Joko Widodo said in a video recorded after he took part in an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh.

REUTERS