‘We repeat: Stop attacks on hospitals,’ WHO chief calls for Gaza health care access

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, recently caught in an Israeli strike on Yemen's airport, called for Abu Safiya’s release and condemned attacks on Al-Ahli hospital.

Updated on: Dec 30, 2024, 13:57:20 IST

By HT News Desk

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The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday urged an end to attacks on hospitals in Gaza. This call followed recent Israeli strikes on one hospital and a raid on another in the past few days, raising concerns over the safety of medical facilities in the region.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. (via REUTERS)

“Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X.

“We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals. People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid. Ceasefire!” he added.

The Israeli military said that Hamas militants were the intended targets of a strike on Gaza City's Al Wafa hospital on Sunday, which, according to Palestinian civil defense, resulted in seven deaths.

Read: A fourth infant dies of the winter cold in Gaza as families share blankets in seaside tents

Israeli forces also detained over 240 Palestinians, including dozens of medical staff, from Kamal Adwan hospital on Friday, with among them being its director, Hussam Abu Safiya, as reported by health authorities in Gaza and Israel's military.

The Israeli military claimed that the hospital was being used by Hamas as a command center for military operations, and the detainees were suspected militants. It also stated that Abu Safiya was taken for questioning due to suspicions of him being a Hamas operative.

Tedros, who was recently caught in an Israeli strike on Yemen's main airport said that it could have cost him his life, called for the immediate release of Abu Safiya and highlighted attacks on Al-Ahli hospital.

He also reported that the WHO and its partners had delivered essential medical supplies, food, and water to Gaza's Indonesian hospital and transferred 10 critically ill patients to Al Shifa hospital, though four patients were detained during the transfer.

“We urge Israel to ensure their health care needs and rights are upheld,” Tedros said.

According to Gaza's health ministry, at least 45,514 Palestinians have been killed and 108,189 wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.

With Reuters inputs

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