WHO expresses concern about detention of health care personnel in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, including its director

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday that it does not have information regarding the status of four remaining health care personnel in the Gaza Strip, which includes the director of the Al-Shifa Hospital.

“Three medical personnel from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and three from the Ministry of Health were detained,” WHO said in a statement about the detentions of medical personnel by the Israel army.

“Two of the six detained health workers have reportedly been released. We do not have information about the well-being of the four remaining health staff, including the director of Al-Shifa hospital,” said the statement.

The statement urged that their detentions comply with legal and human rights.

It said the mission to evacuate patients at the hospital was “high-risk” due to ongoing intense fighting and shelling in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa hospital.

“It took 20 hours for the team to complete the evacuation, including 6 hours at a checkpoint where the team and patients were screened by the Israeli Defense Force. This was despite an initial agreement to only screen participants at the origination point in Al-Shifa Hospital,” it said.

Following a six-hour delay at the security checkpoint, the convoy advanced as the health condition of certain patients had already worsened. The patients arrived at their ultimate destination late in the evening, the statement added.

WHO raised concerns about 100 patients and health care workers still at the Al-Shifa Hospital.

The limited time that mission members had within the hospital and the urgency of prioritizing the relocation of the most critical cases made it challenging to precisely determine the exact remaining number, according to the statement.

“This and other evacuations were requested by health authorities, health workers and patients, and became necessary as Al-Shifa Hospital is no longer able to function due to lack of water, fuel, medical supplies, food, and staff, and recent military incursions,” it said.

It added that WHO and its collaborators conducted a mission Nov. 21 to evaluate medical priorities at the Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza

“Al-Ahli, which is one of the only functional hospitals in the north, must be urgently and regularly supplied with fuel, water, food and medical supplies to ensure the continuity of care,” it said.

The statement said that following the assessment mission, a transfer operation was carried out in collaboration with the Palestine Red Crescent Society, resulting in the arrival of 22 patients and 19 companions at the European Gaza Hospital on the subsequent day.

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Israeli forces raid on Al-Shifa hospital

On the morning of Nov. 15, Israeli forces conducted a raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest health care facility in the region, where thousands of patients and displaced civilians were located.

Following the raid, Israel claimed to have found rusty weapons and cameras in the building, instead of tunnels and ammunition depots, presenting them as evidence. The move sparked criticism.

The Israeli forces had requested the evacuation of individuals from the hospital, but due to the inability of some injured and ill patients to leave on foot, some doctors and health care workers chose to remain at the hospital.