Gom Mirian
A joint United Nations (UN) humanitarian assessment team, led by the World Health Organisation (WHO), braved the ongoing heavy fighting in northern Gaza to access Al-Shifa Hospital and evaluate the dire situation on the ground.
The team, which included experts in public health, logistics, and security from various UN agencies such as OCHA, UNDSS, UNMAS/UNOPS, UNRWA, and WHO, aimed to conduct a rapid situational analysis, identify medical priorities and establish logistics options for future missions.
To ensure the team’s safety, a statement by the WHO on Saturday night stated that the mission was coordinated with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who agreed on a route for safe passage. However, added that it remained a high-risk operation due to the active conflict zone surrounding the hospital.
It stated that before the team’s arrival, the IDF had issued evacuation orders to the remaining 2500 internally displaced people who sought refuge on the hospital grounds. Alongside these displaced individuals, several mobile patients and hospital staff had already vacated the facility by the time the assessment team reached there.
According to the statement, “There are 25 health workers and 291 patients remaining in Al-Shifa, with several patient deaths having occurred over the previous 2 to 3 days due to the shutting down of medical services.
“Patients include 32 babies in extremely critical condition, 2 people in intensive care without ventilation, and 22 dialysis patients whose access to life-saving treatment has been severely compromised. The vast majority of patients are victims of war trauma, including many with complex fractures and amputations, head injuries, burns, chest and abdominal trauma, and 29 patients with serious spinal injuries who are unable to move without medical assistance. Many trauma patients have severely infected wounds due to a lack of infection control measures in the hospital and the unavailability of antibiotics.
“WHO is deeply concerned about the safety and health needs of patients, health workers and internally displaced people sheltering at the few remaining partially functional hospitals in the north, which are facing the risk of closure due to a lack of fuel, water, medical supplies and food, and the intense hostilities. Immediate efforts must be made to restore the functionality of Al-Shifa and all other hospitals to provide urgently needed health services in Gaza.
“WHO reiterates its plea for collective efforts to bring an end to the hostilities and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. We call for an immediate ceasefire, the sustained flow of humanitarian assistance at scale, unhindered humanitarian access to all of those in need, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the cessation of attacks on health care and other vital infrastructure. The extreme suffering of the people of Gaza demands that we respond immediately and concretely with humanity and compassion.”
