The head of the World Health Organization on Sunday urged Hamas to free all hostages, warning that war between Israel and the Islamist organization will only result in carnage and terror.
Innocent Palestinian children and civilians are “paying the price” in Israeli attacks, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who expressed his profound worry.
The conflict “is an awful reminder of how quickly the health of millions of people can be put at risk”, the UN agency’s leader said, in comments circulated by the WHO headquarters in Geneva.
“War will bring nothing but destruction and horror,” he told the World Health Summit in Berlin, speaking from Manila.
Last Sunday, a day after waves of the militant group’s gunmen breached the heavily guarded border and killed more than 1,400 people—mostly civilians—by shooting, stabbing, and setting them on fire—Israel declared war on Hamas.
At least 2,670 individuals have died in the Gaza Strip as a result of the subsequent unrelenting bombing, the bulk of them regular Palestinians.
Since Hamas carried out its deadly strike last week, the Israeli military said it had confirmed that 155 people were being held as hostages by the organization.
“WHO calls on Hamas to release civilian hostages, and we continue to appeal to Israel to abide by its obligations under international law to protect civilians and health facilities,” said Tedros.
He branded the Hamas attacks “unjustified and horrific”, saying they were “barbaric and should be condemned”.
“I’m also gravely concerned about Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians. Innocent civilians and children are paying the price,” he added.
Israel’s army has told people in the north of the Gaza Strip — nearly half of its 2.4-million population — to head south to safety, ahead of an expected ground offensive.
“Asking 1.1 million people to move from north to south Gaza in such a short window will create a humanitarian tragedy,” said Tedros.
“The forced evacuation of patients and health workers will further worsen the humanitarian and public health catastrophe.”
The WHO is calling for the restoration of electricity and water in the Gaza Strip, and for conditions to allow “the immediate and safe delivery of food, medical supplies, and other humanitarian aid”, said Tedros.
