The “high-risk mission,” carried out the day before, was marked by checkpoint delays and severely damaged roads. Thousands of hungry civilians also surrounded the UN vehicles and the fuel truck in a desperate search for food and water, further delaying the journey.
The team reported that the hospital's functionality has improved since the last humanitarian mission 10 days ago, with a significant decrease in the number of displaced people taking refuge there, from 40,000 to 10,000.
Some operational services
Al-Shifa has 120 healthcare workers and 300 patients. Between five and ten surgeries are performed daily, mainly traumatic cases that require immediate attention.
Essential services such as basic laboratory and radiology facilities remain operational, along with emergency care, a surgical unit with three operating theatres, post-operative care and a dialysis unit. Plans are underway to reopen a nine-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the coming days.
However, there are no maternity or pediatric services and there is a shortage of specialized doctors, medicines and medical supplies such as orthopedic equipment.
“These units could become operational again, but will require a constant supply of fuel, oxygen, medical supplies and other support,” the WHO said. Additionally, the primary oxygen plant was destroyed and the hospital now relies on a smaller plant.
Healthcare under fire
The WHO continues to draw attention to the dire state of the health system in Gaza, where 14 of 36 hospitals remain partially operational after almost four months of conflict.
The escalating military presence and hostilities in the south are severely hampering the movement of health workers, ambulances and UN partners, as well as their ability to resupply hospitals. Agency staff said the situation in Khan Younis city hospitals is “catastrophic and indescribable.”
The WHO also expressed extreme concern over reports of Al-Kheir Hospital, a small facility run by an NGO, facing military raids and the detention of several health workers. Communication with the hospital is no longer possible.
Staff digging graves
Due to evacuation orders in the neighborhoods surrounding the Nasser Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the south, as well as ongoing hostilities in its surroundings, a large number of wounded are on the hospital grounds, according to health authorities. from Gaza.
“UK Med, an international emergency medical team deployed in Nasser, says that no one can enter or leave the facility due to ongoing shelling nearby,” the WHO added.
“Healthcare staff are reportedly digging graves on hospital grounds due to the large number of expected deaths and the need to manage bodies. “This horrible situation should never happen in any hospital.”
The WHO warned that Al-Amal Hospital is at risk of becoming non-functional as ambulances and injured patients are reportedly unable to access the facility.
The UN agency reiterated its calls for an immediate ceasefire, protection of civilians and medical care, and sustained access for the delivery of critical aid throughout the Gaza Strip.
