By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - Hospitals in northern Gaza are facing relentless attacks and crippling shortages of medical supplies, fuel, and blood units, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
"The ground offensive on northern Gaza continues to hinder access to health services," Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, told a press briefing in Geneva. "Access to Kamal Adwan, Al Awda, and Indonesian hospitals remains severely restricted, with reported critical shortages of medical supplies, fuel, and blood units."
"WHO missions are severely hampered," Peeperkorn said.
Regarding Thursday's attack by quadcopters on the Kamal Adwan Hospital, he said a 16-year-old patient was killed while being transported in a wheelchair to the X-ray department.
He added that 12 others were injured, including two health personnel, one of whom sustained serious injuries. The hospital’s oxygen, compressed air, and water networks were damaged, according to the representative.
In the last week alone, attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital have left three health workers injured and claimed the life of the ICU head nurse, Peeperkorn said, adding that the hospital's generators were also damaged, compounding the crisis.
WHO’s operations in Gaza have faced significant challenges, he said, as of 273 planned missions since October, 58% were either denied, canceled, or impeded, with even fewer missions completed in northern Gaza.
Despite these barriers, he said, the WHO recently managed a critical mission to the north of Gaza from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, delivering 10,000 liters of fuel, 200 food parcels, blood units, and essential medical supplies to Kamal Adwan Hospital.
"After seven weeks of unsuccessful attempts and denied missions, an international emergency medical team (EMT) was finally deployed to Kamal Adwan Hospital to keep the hospital functional," he said. The team includes two surgeons, two emergency nurses, a gynecologist, and a logistician, according to the representative.
On medical evacuations, Peeperkorn said at least 12,000 patients across Gaza urgently need medical evacuations to survive.
Since the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, he said only 378 patients have been evacuated, 331 with WHO’s support.
On Dec. 3 and 4, the WHO facilitated the evacuation of 19 patients, including children requiring cancer treatment, to destinations such as Belgium, Spain, Jordan, and Romania.
"We urge for rapid and efficient use of all corridors to allow all patients to receive life-saving care in time," he said.
Currently, only 17 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operational, with 50 of 136 primary health centers functional, he said.
According to the health agency, since the escalation of hostilities, over 1,249 attacks on healthcare have been verified, including 591 in Gaza.