GENEVA, November 20 — The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations’ agency responsible for public health, has issued a powerful condemnation of Israel’s repeated orders for the evacuation of 22 hospitals treating more than 2000 inpatients in northern Gaza. These forced evacuations are considered a direct threat to the lives of the sick and injured patients and the dedicated health workers caring for them.
The situation in northern Gaza remains critical, with health facilities struggling to accommodate a surge of injured patients. Some facilities are treating patients in corridors and even in open spaces around hospitals due to the severe lack of available beds. With the evacuation orders compelling more than 2000 patients to relocate to southern Gaza, already operating at full capacity, a looming catastrophe is feared. Health facilities there may be unable to absorb this significant increase in patient numbers, potentially becoming death sentences for the vulnerable patients.
The lives of many critically ill patients hang in the balance, including those in intensive care units, those reliant on life support, patients undergoing hemodialysis, newborns in incubators, and women facing complications during pregnancy. Forcing them to move under these dire circumstances could lead to the deterioration of their health and, in some cases, death. Hospital directors and health workers in northern Gaza now face agonizing choices: abandon critically ill patients amid a bombing campaign, risk their own lives to stay and provide care, or endanger patients’ lives while attempting evacuations.
These heart-wrenching decisions should never be left to healthcare professionals. Moreover, tens of thousands of displaced individuals seeking refuge around hospitals to escape violence are at risk when these facilities are targeted during conflict. There have been verified reports of health care worker casualties and the destruction of health facilities, which contravene International Humanitarian Law and deny civilians their basic human right to life-saving health care. The WHO calls for Israel to immediately revoke evacuation orders issued for hospitals in northern Gaza and demands the protection of health facilities, health workers, patients, and civilians.
Furthermore, the WHO reiterates its urgent appeal for the immediate and secure delivery of essential medical supplies, fuel, clean water, food, and other humanitarian aid through the Rafah crossing into Gaza, where vital assistance, including WHO health supplies, awaits entry to address the growing humanitarian crisis.
