GENEVA
The World Health Organization (WHO) has lost communication with personnel at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza following reports of an Israeli artillery attack early Friday, which injured several individuals.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern on social media, stating, “We have lost touch with the personnel there,” and emphasized the seriousness of the situation given the number of patients and individuals seeking refuge in the hospital.
Israeli forces targeted the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia with shelling and gunfire, injuring medical staff and damaging essential medical equipment. Reports indicate that the Israeli military also struck the hospital’s main oxygen supply station, rendering it nonfunctional.
Prior to the attack, the WHO managed to transfer 23 patients and 26 caregivers to Al-Shifa Hospital late Thursday and delivered 180 units of blood, along with trauma and surgical supplies for over 5,000 patients. Tedros noted that the hospital was overwhelmed, treating nearly 200 patients and sheltering hundreds more.
“Accessing hospitals in Gaza is becoming increasingly perilous, putting our staff at unnecessary risk,” he stated. He reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire and for the protection of healthcare facilities, patients, and humanitarian workers, stressing that “everyone in Gaza deserves peace.”
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has persisted since the attack by Hamas in October of last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire. Local health authorities report over 42,800 deaths, predominantly among women and children, and more than 100,500 injuries. The ongoing conflict has displaced nearly the entire population and caused critical shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies.
Israel is facing allegations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
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