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October 14, 2024 – 04:22
(Keystone-ATS) A joint mission of the WHO and the Palestinian Red Cross succeeded on Saturday in evacuating patients and supplying two hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip, the head of the WHO said on the social network X on Sunday.
“WHO and its partners finally managed to reach Kamal Adwan and Al-Sahaba hospitals yesterday (Saturday) after nine attempts this week,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“The missions have been accomplished while the fighting continues,” insisted Dr Tedros. He added that the drivers were subjected to humiliating treatment and even detained for a time at a checkpoint, “which is unacceptable.”
The WHO regularly denounces the obstacles that the Israeli authorities place in these supply and patient evacuation missions. She did it again on Friday during a press briefing in Geneva precisely on the subject of this relief mission to the north of the Gaza Strip.
“One-off missions are not enough”
“One-off missions are not enough. It is necessary to regularly resupply hospitals so that they continue to operate,” declared the WHO boss, reiterating his “call for sustainable facilitation of humanitarian missions and the guarantee of the safety of humanitarian personnel, as well as ‘to a cease-fire’.
According to the WHO, 13 patients in critical condition were transferred from Kamal Adwan Hospital to al-Chifa Hospital in Gaza City.
“The hospital is overwhelmed and still accommodates around 60 hospitalized patients and receives at least 50 to 70 injured people per day,” stressed Dr. Tedros.
Six other patients who had already been transferred earlier from al-Awda Hospital to Kamal Adwan were also taken to al-Chifa, along with those accompanying them.
In addition, the mission made it possible to deliver 20,000 liters of fuel to keep Kamal Adwan and al-Awda in working order and 23,000 liters were delivered to al-Sahaba hospital, in addition to 800 units of blood as well as essential medicines and medical supplies.
The fuel is mainly used to run hospital generators to ensure electricity supply.
Hospital infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip is very fragile after a year of war between Israel and Hamas, with many affected by bombings or fighting. The Israeli army accuses the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and carried out the attacks of October 7, 2023 in Israel, of operating under the cover of these buildings which normally benefit from increased protection under the laws of the war.
