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Gaza hospitals in a state of “utter chaos and a humanitarian disaster zone” - WHO

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated its calls on Tuesday for the protection of health care and humanitarian assistance in Gaza, following military checkpoint delays and detention of health partners during a mission to transfer critically ill patients from the north to the south and to deliver health supplies.

Briefing reporters from Gaza, Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that “the space for humanitarian actors to provide aid within Gaza is incredibly complex and it seems to be shrinking. It is very difficult for us to safely and swiftly move supplies, patients and staff and the needs are enormous to alleviate this catastrophic humanitarian situation which is only growing.”

The Gaza Strip has been transformed within 66 days of fighting, from a “reasonably functioning health system” producing health indicators “on par with neighbouring countries” to a situation where more than two thirds of its 36 hospitals and over 70 per cent of primary health care facilities are out of commission, according to WHO.

Dr. Peeperkorn told the media that on 9 December during a high-risk mission to evacuate patients from the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City to the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza, “on the way north, the UN convoy was inspected at the Wadi Gaza checkpoint and crew members had to leave the vehicles for identification, exposing them to risk.” He added that “two of the PRCS (Palestine Red Crescent Society) staff were detained for over an hour, and we had to wait there, it further delayed the mission. We witnessed that one of the staff was made to kneel at gun point and taken out of sight. Finally, he returned and we could move on as well.”

WHO’s representative stated that on the way back, with the 19 critical patients from Al-Ahli Hospital on board, the convoy was again stopped at the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. PRCS (Palestine Red Crescent Society) staff and most of the patients had to leave the ambulances for security checks, and "critical patients remaining in the ambulance were all searched by armed soldiers".

The WHO staff described the Al-Ahli Hospital as extremely overcrowded, with many displaced people sheltering there, and over 200 patients, while it only has enough resources to support 40 beds. The building has sustained substantive damage because of the hostilities.

“We saw many trauma patients on donkey carts, on horse carts, etcetera, dead people unfortunately, seriously injured people on foot, personal vehicles everywhere, every room in Al-Ahli, not only every ward but every corridor in the courtyard, outside, in the library, even the chapel, is full with patients,” said Dr. Peeperkorn. “We can only describe it as a kind of utter chaos and a humanitarian disaster zone.”

Faced with large numbers of trauma patients inside the hospital, and outside on the street, “the doctors are really forced to prioritize who receives care, who doesn’t, and they are treating many of the serious cases actually straight away in the corner of the corridors or on the floor or even in the chapel,” said Dr. Peeperkorn. “Unfortunately, there is no vascular surgeon, so that’s why the medical specialists are forced to do something like limb amputations as the last resort to save lives.”

Meanwhile WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Kamal Adwan Hospital – also in the north – “is being forcefully evacuated. There are currently 68 patients inside the hospital, 18 intensive care unit patients and including six neonates.”

Close to 50,000 people have been injured in Gaza since 7 October and some 8,000 of them require “urgent and immediate medical intervention”, WHO said.

WHO said that with its partners it remains firmly committed to staying in Gaza and assisting the population. But as hostilities continue to increase across the Strip and aid falls short of needs, the humanitarian support system is on the verge of collapse.

The UN health agency reiterated that obstruction of ambulances and attacks on humanitarian and health workers are unconscionable, insisting that healthcare is protected under international law and must be respected in all circumstances.

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Gaza protection of humanitarian space - WHO 12 December 2023

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