The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned on Saturday of a catastrophic situation in northern Gaza due to "intense military operations around and inside medical facilities."
He stated on the social media platform X: "A catastrophic situation is unfolding in northern Gaza. There is a severe shortage of medical supplies, coupled with severely restricted access, preventing people from receiving life-saving care."
He specifically mentioned the Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last operational hospital in northern Gaza, which, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, was attacked by Israeli forces on the 25th.
He noted that the Gaza Ministry of Health has informed the WHO that the military siege has ended, but this has come at a heavy cost.
According to media reports, at least 44 members of the 70-person medical team at Kamal Adwan Hospital were detained by Israeli forces. Subsequently, 14 of them, including the director, were released.
Medical personnel reported that after Israeli forces shot and hit the hospital's generator and oxygen station on the 25th, at least two children in the intensive care unit died. The Israeli military ordered medical staff to evacuate the hospital and leave the patients behind, but the medical staff refused.
Before the Israeli forces launched the raid, there were at least 600 people in the hospital, including patients and their accompanying family members.