UN reports record number of attacks on healthcare facilities by Israeli forces

Middle East, News November 15, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

United Nations health agency WHO reported a record number of attacks on health facilities in Gaza over the past month, documenting about 135 attacks on healthcare centers.

On November 15, Israeli ground forces entered Al Shifa, Gaza’s biggest hospital, and continued searching rooms and basements. The Israeli forces’ siege of the medical facility has caused alarms over the fate of thousands of trapped civilians and children.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesperson issued a statement saying that the secretary-general is “deeply disturbed by the horrible situation and dramatic loss of life” reported in Gaza’s medical facilities.

WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris said in a statement that “this was the highest number recorded in such a short amount of time,” and hoped that “this is the worst we ever see.”

Dr. Harris described the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital as dire. The hospital is a focus of operations by the Israeli Defense Forces which claim that Hamas had established a command center under the medical facility, an allegation that has been denied by the medical staff.

WHO’s Dr. Harris told reporters that the UN also observed an “increasing trend” of attacks on healthcare facilities in other ongoing conflict regions, including Sudan and Ukraine. “It seems that somehow the understanding that a hospital must [be] a safe haven, a place where people come to be treated when they are in need, has been forgotten,” she added.

*^{Heavy rain in the Gaza Strip could lead to an increase in diseases, WHO said in a statement. (Image Credit: UN/WHO)}*

The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini earlier said in a statement that the humanitarian response was “gradually coming to an end because no fuel has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since 7 October.”

Lazzarini stressed, “It is very simple. Without fuel, the humanitarian operation in Gaza is coming to an end. Many more people will suffer and will likely die. It is unbelievable that humanitarian agencies have to beg for fuel and operate on life support.”

World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also called for an immediate ceasefire and said “The world cannot stand silent while hospitals, which should be safe havens, are transformed into scenes of death, devastation and despair.”

UN mourning

Separately on November 13, the United Nations flag was lowered to half-mast to mourn the death of 89 UNRWA colleagues, who have been killed in Gaza, most of them with their family members.

According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “More aid workers have been killed in recent weeks than in any comparable period in the history of our organization.” He called for a humanitarian ceasefire and respect for international law, including the protection of civilians, hospitals, UN facilities, shelters, and schools.

Today, the @UN family observed a moment of silence to mourn & honour our colleagues killed in Gaza.

Since the start of this conflict, more than 100 @UNRWA staff have lost their lives – the highest number of UN aid workers killed in a conflict in such a short time.

They will… pic.twitter.com/O9ZBy92Xu0
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 13, 2023

UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office said in a statement that one infant and 10 patients have died at Al-Shifa hospital, while three nurses were also killed amid bombing and armed clashes. The UN statement highlighted, “No matter where conflicts happen, the UN has reiterated that humanitarians should never be a target and that hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law.”