On Tuesday, the Israeli army refuted claims that it instructed the WHO to evacuate a relief warehouse in southern Gaza within a day in order to prevent ground operations from rendering it useless.
“The truth is that we didn’t ask you to evacuate the warehouses and we also made it clear (and in writing) to the relevant #UN representatives,” the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, COGAT said on X, formerly Twitter.
“From a #UN official we would expect, at least, to be more accurate,” it added.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Monday: “Today, WHO received notification from the Israel Defense Forces that we should remove our supplies from our medical warehouse in southern Gaza within 24 hours, as ground operations will put it beyond use”.
“We appeal to Israel to withdraw the order, and take every possible measure to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and humanitarian facilities,” he wrote.
On October 7, 240 hostages were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists from Gaza as they conducted an unprecedented offensive on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 persons, predominantly civilians.
In retaliation, Israel promised to destroy Hamas and launched an unrelenting land, artillery, and naval bombardment. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza estimates that Israel has killed some 15,900 people, the majority of them women and children.
As part of an increased offensive against Hamas, the Israeli army cut off communications throughout the besieged area on Monday and moved dozens of tanks into southern Gaza.
The number of operational hospitals in Gaza has dropped from 36 to 18 in less than 60 days, according to the WHO, with three providing only basic first aid and others offering partial services.
The WHO reports that twelve hospitals are still open for business in the southern section of the Gaza Strip.
Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, said during a press conference earlier on Monday that the escalation of military ground operations in southern Gaza faced the risk of denying thousands of civilians access to healthcare.
“We saw what happened in the north of Gaza. This cannot serve as a model for the south,” he said.
