WHO: Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza is a 'zone of death'

(Patria) - A humanitarian assessment team visited Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza and saw signs of shelling and gunfire in what was described as a zone of death, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today. The WHO-led team, which included public health experts, logisticians, and security personnel from various UN departments, could only spend an hour at the hospital yesterday due to security reasons, the WHO said in a statement.

The team described the hospital as a "zone of death" and said the situation was "desperate," with the hospital essentially not functioning as a medical facility due to a lack of clean water, fuel, medicine, and other supplies.

"Signs of shelling and gunfire were evident. The team saw a mass grave at the hospital entrance and was told that more than 80 people were buried there," the WHO stated.

Corridors and the hospital compound were filled with medical and solid waste, and patients and healthcare staff expressed fear for their health and safety, it said. 25 healthcare workers and 291 patients, including 32 critically ill babies, remained at Al Shifa, the WHO reported.

"The World Health Organization and partners are urgently developing plans for the emergency evacuation of remaining patients, staff, and their families," it said.

"Over the next 24 to 72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage from the parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged for the urgent transport of patients" to other hospitals in southern Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the WHO statement or the visit.


The remaining 2500 internally displaced persons who had sought refuge at Al Shifa left after the Israeli Defense Forces issued an evacuation order on Saturday, the WHO said. Israeli forces occupied Al Shifa in their offensive in northern Gaza, saying the hospital concealed a Hamas underground command center.

The military claimed to have found evidence of an underground Hamas base. Al Shifa staff say Israel has not proven anything of the sort. The visit was coordinated with the Israeli military to minimize risks, but it occurred in a zone of active conflict, with heavy fighting near the hospital, the WHO added.

The WHO reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and sustained humanitarian aid, saying that options for medical care in the small coastal enclave are dwindling.