AMMAN, March 24 — Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, demanded that Israeli occupation forces immediately lift their siege of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza city.
“WHO and partners have lost contact with health personnel at Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza since the ongoing raid began, and we are seeking information on the patient’s condition and if they are receiving needed care,” Jordan news agency (Petra) reported Ghebreyesus said in a post on his official X account.
“Accessing Al-Shifa is now impossible, and there are reports of health workers being arrested and detained,” the WHO chief added.
“Report from a doctor in Al-Shifa hospital in northern #Gaza via a UN colleague: - 50 health workers (most of them junior or volunteers) and 143 patients all kept in one building since the second day of the raid, with extremely limited food, water and only one nonfunctional toilet,” Ghebreyesus noted.
He said patients are in critical condition, with many lying on the floor while many are without companions, basic medical supplies and medicines.
“Health workers have requested urgent patient referrals. These conditions are utterly inhumane. We call for an immediate end to the siege and appeal for safe access to ensure patients get the care they need. Ceasefire!,” Ghebreyesus said.
— Bernama-Petra
