UN Reports Severe Damage to Gaza Hospitals Amid Israeli Attacks
In a report on Tuesday, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that only 13 out of 36 hospitals in the besieged territory are partially operational.
According to OCHA, the operational hospitals are facing critical shortages of basic supplies and fuel, resulting in limited services for patients.
The two major hospitals in southern Gaza are reportedly operating at “three times above their bed capacity.”
“[Bed] occupancy rates are now reaching 206 percent in inpatient departments and 250 percent in intensive care units. Additionally, these hospitals are providing shelter to thousands of displaced people,” the UN body said, citing data from the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The report cites an attack on the maternity department at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza, leading to the tragic death of several mothers. The hospital remains surrounded by Israeli troops and tanks, facing extreme shortages of water, food, and power.
“The hospital is currently accommodating 65 patients, including 12 children in the intensive care unit (ICU) and six newborns in incubators,” said the report, adding, “About 3,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) remain trapped in the facility and are awaiting evacuation with extreme shortages of water, food, and power reported.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera, head of the hospital Ahmed al-Kahlout said “no one can leave” the medical center as it has been under the Israeli siege for four days.
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The OCHA also referred to the dire situation of Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalya (northern Gaza) which is also under Israeli siege with intense fighting in its vicinity.
“Reportedly, 250 doctors, patients, and their family members are trapped inside the hospital,” said the report. It also said that two medical staff were killed by Israeli forces while on duty inside the hospital on Saturday.
In another alarming development, Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis were bombarded on Sunday and Monday, hindering access for dozens of casualties.
Israel claims that Hamas locates its operational bases in tunnels under hospitals and civilian infrastructure, a claim Hamas dismisses. The Israeli military has yet to provide convincing evidence supporting these allegations.
Growing infections in overcrowded UN shelters
The OCHA also expressed deep concerns regarding the escalating spread of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip.
The dire situation is attributed to overcrowded and unsanitary conditions prevailing in shelters administered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), particularly in the southern region.
“There have been significant increases in some communicable diseases and conditions such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections, and hygiene-related conditions like lice,” the report said.
OCHA emphasizes that UNRWA shelters in the middle and southern areas are currently accommodating nine times more internally displaced persons (IDPs) than initially planned.
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Since the commencement of the offensive on October 7, the Israeli military forces have killed at least 18,205 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, injuring 49,645 others. Thousands are still missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which remains under a severe complete siege imposed by Israel.
Earlier, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), issued a stark warning about the precarious state of Gaza's health system.
“Gaza’s health system is on its knees and collapsing, with the risk expected to worsen with the deteriorating situation and approaching winter conditions,” he said.
Source: Agencies
