WHO condemns Gaza hospital attack

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.[VOA]

 An attack on a Gaza Hospital on Tuesday has attracted outrage and condemnation from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip left hundreds of fatalities and injuries.

 “The hospital was operational, with patients, health and caregivers, and internally displaced people sheltering there,” WHO stated.

Last week, Israel ordered for evacuation of over 1 million people from Gaza and the hospital was one of the marked areas.

WHO reports the evacuation order was not possible at Al Ahli Arab Hospital considering some patients were in critical care.

“The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced,” WHO explained.

The organization has called for the reversal of the evacuation order and the protection of lives and healthcare facilities. 

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime minister has condemned the strike on hospitals terming the attackers as barbaric terrorists.

On his part, United States President Joe Biden also waded into the matter expressing outrage at the attack that led to the loss of lives.

“Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened,” Biden stated.

To show solidarity following the Hamas attack, President Biden has visited Israel. It is the first trip to the country by an American president during a time of war.

“I wanted the people of Israel – the people of the world – to know where the United States stands. … The world is looking. Israel has a value set like the United States does, and other democracies. And they’re looking to see what we’re going to do,” he told Netanyahu.

So far, thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinian have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza on October 8.