By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) – The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Friday expressed his concern over the condition of the European Hospital in southern Gaza, saying the situation increases the risk of disease outbreaks.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 22,000 people are sheltering at the European Hospital in southern Gaza due to the ongoing intensive fighting in Khan Younis, which also impedes access to the hospital.
"@WHO team and partners yesterday witnessed extreme crowding inside the facility — truly inhumane conditions for patients, health workers and those without a safe place to shelter," he wrote on X.
Saying that the 670-bed capacity hospital now serves 800 patients, Ghebreyesus noted that the emergency department, intensive care unit, surgery and wound care, child and neonatal care, and laboratory and radiology services have limited functionality.
"Limited access to clean water and sanitation increases the risk of disease outbreaks," said the WHO chief, reiterating his call for a cease-fire.
Israel has killed more than 27,000 people in the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Hamas, which took the lives of 1,200 people. The military onslaught has caused mass displacement and destruction and created conditions for famine in Gaza.