An Israeli strike on the Al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza left 4 dead and 17 injured, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) said this Sunday on X. The Israeli army says it has targeted “a command center for Islamic jihad”.
“A WHO team was on a humanitarian mission to Al-Aqsa Hospital in #Gaza when a camp inside the hospital compound was hit by an Israeli airstrike today. Four people were killed and 17 injured,” wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, specifying that the staff of his organization were safe and sound. He does not give details of the victims.
Israel says hospital was not damaged
In a post on Deir al Balah region.
“As a result of this specific strike, the Al-Aqsa Hospital building was not damaged and its function was not affected,” the message continued. According to Dr Tedros, the WHO team was at the hospital to assess needs and collect incubators to send to northern Gaza.
“The militarization of hospitals” must “stop”
“We once again call for the protection of patients, health personnel and humanitarian missions,” writes the director general, repeating for the umpteenth time that “the ongoing attacks and the militarization of hospitals must stop.”
“International humanitarian law must be respected. We urge the parties to comply with the UN Security Council Resolution and ceasefire! », insisted Doctor Tedros. Since October 7 and the unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israeli territory, Israel has promised to eliminate the Islamist movement and has been carrying out relentless bombings on Palestinian territory, which have partly damaged the health structure.
From 36 to 10 hospitals
According to the WHO, there are only 10 hospitals left in the Palestinian territory operating “at a minimum” compared to 36 before the start of the war. Violent fighting has also been taking place on the ground for weeks, sometimes in or around hospitals in Gaza, which in addition to providing care also serve as shelter for thousands of Gazans who have lost their homes or are fleeing the fighting.
The territory is the subject of an almost complete blockade and NGOs such as the UN accuse Israel of not sufficiently facilitating the arrival of humanitarian aid on which most of the approximately 2.4 million inhabitants who still live depend. in Gaza and are mainly massed in the south in and around the town of Rafah. The Hamas Ministry of Health announced on Saturday a new toll of 32,705 people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war.