At a news conference, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the West Bank and Gaza, told reporters that there were currently no functional hospitals in the enclave's southernmost town, Rafah, following the recent Israeli offensive there.
The availability of hospital beds has dropped dramatically, from 3,500 before the conflict broke out to just 1,400 today, he added.
He said 600 of those 1,400 are being provided by field hospitals, “so currently, from the Ministry of Health and NGO fixed hospitals, there are only 800 hospital beds in service out of 3,500, plus 600 field hospital beds, for a population of 2.2 million people.”
The WHO official also stressed the urgency of allowing seriously ill patients to leave Gaza, saying around 10,000 patients still require urgent evacuation, half of whom are suffering from severe trauma, including spinal injuries and amputations.
Despite the readiness of hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to accept patients – along with neighbouring countries – safe evacuation corridors are essential, he stressed: first to the West Bank and East Jerusalem, second to Egypt via Rafah, with Jordan as a third option.
Many countries have offered medical evacuation services, Dr. Peeperkorn added. “Don’t let politics prevent life-saving care for patients in critical condition,” he pleaded.
Entire population traumatized
The mental health crisis in Gaza is also a major concern, affecting all 2.2 million residents and humanitarian workers.
“These are children… these are teenagers. These are women. These are men. These are the elderly. These are health care workers. These are first responders… No one has been affected by what happened, and this will also require special attention to early recovery and rehabilitation,” Dr. Peeperkorn emphasized.
Stop attacking schools
In other news, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency that helps the Palestinians (UNRWA), reported that attacks on schools in Gaza have become an almost daily occurrence.
“There have been at least eight schools attacked in the past 10 days, including six UNRWA schools,” she said in a post on X. “The war robbed Gazan girls and boys of their childhood and education.”
He added that schools must never be used for combat or military purposes by any of the parties to the conflict.
“Schools are not a target,” he stressed.
