The World Health Organization reported on Saturday that it has lost communication with contacts at Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, expressing deep concerns for the safety of individuals trapped by the ongoing conflict.
The spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry stated that operations in Al Shifa Hospital were suspended due to a lack of fuel.
The WHO emphasized its grave concerns for the safety of health workers, patients, including infants on life support, and displaced individuals within the hospital. The organization called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting the dire situation where heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas has trapped thousands in hospitals.
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders warned that without a ceasefire or at least a medical evacuation, the hospitals, including Al-Shifa, risk becoming morgues. Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, surrounded and under bombardment, is facing critical challenges, according to its director, Mohammad Abu Salmiya.
Inside Al-Shifa Hospital, Doctors Without Borders surgeon Mohammed Obeid described a dire situation with no water, power, food, or internet for hundreds of patients, including post-operative cases, infants, and those in intensive care. Additionally, a doctor at the hospital reported that attempts to leave were met with gunfire from the Israeli army, resulting in casualties in the hospital yard.
The urgent call for a ceasefire comes as the situation in Gaza’s hospitals continues to worsen, endangering the lives of patients and healthcare workers.
