World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late Sunday that a WHO-Palestine Red Crescent operation had managed to resupply two hospitals in northern Gaza.
“WHO and partners finally managed to reach Kamal Adwan and Al-Sahaba hospitals yesterday after 9 attempts this past week,” he posted on social media platform X.
“The missions were completed amid ongoing hostilities,” he added.
Drivers, he claimed, had experienced “humiliating security screening” and had even been momentarily detained at a checkpoint, “which is unacceptable”.
The barriers that the Israeli government places in the way of these supply and patient evacuation missions are frequently criticised by the WHO.
It repeated this on Friday at a news conference in Geneva that was devoted to discussing this assistance effort in the northern Gaza Strip.
“One-off missions are not enough. There is a sustained need for resupplying hospitals to keep them functioning,” Tedros said, reiterating his call “for sustained facilitation of humanitarian missions and ensuring safety for humanitarian staff; and for a ceasefire”.
According to the WHO, 13 patients in critical condition were transferred from Kamal Adwan hospital to Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
“The hospital is overwhelmed and still serving around 60 in-patients and receiving at least 50-70 injured daily,” Tedros said.
Along with their companions, six additional patients who had previously been moved from al-Awda Hospital to Kamal Adwan were also brought to Al-Shifa.
In addition, 20,000 litres (5,300 gallons) of gasoline were sent on the resupply trip to maintain Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda operating, and 23,000 litres of fuel, 800 units of blood, and necessary medications and supplies were provided to Al-Sahaba Hospital.
In order to maintain a power supply, the hospitals mostly use the fuel to run their generators.
The hospital infrastructure throughout the Gaza Strip is very fragile after a year of war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas, with many facilities having been hit by shelling or fighting.
The Israeli military accuses Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and carried out the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel that triggered the war, of operating under the cover of these buildings, which normally enjoy increased protection under the rules of war.
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