By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“OCHA tells us that the third floor of the Kamal Adwan Hospital was bombed today, resulting in the loss of medical supplies that was delivered just five days ago” – Stephane Dujarric

The Spokesperson of the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, revealed on Thursday that Israel bombed the medical supplies that were delivered five days ago to Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Quoting the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the spokesperson told a press brief that the scale of destruction is “overwhelming” touching almost all the areas of the besieged enclave while Israel’s deadly aggression in the north continues especially in Jabalya, Beit Lahya and Beit Hanoun.

Dujarric confirmed that the siege on Jabalya refugee camp and surrounding areas is still ongoing.

“OCHA tells us that the third floor of the Kamal Adwan Hospital was bombed today, resulting in the loss of medical supplies that was delivered just five days ago,” he stated, adding that the aid delivery operation was done through UN agencies.

“Hospitals are under assault and rescue teams are unable to work, due to the arrests of personnel and the confiscation of essential equipment, including ambulances and a fire truck,” Dujarric pointed out.

Forced Displacement

The UN official spoke of reports of ongoing forced displacement and the devastating consequences on the Palestinian population.  

“According to our partners, some 300 Palestinians were displaced today from the north to the south through the Al Rashid checkpoint,” Dujarric stressed, pointing out that women, children and the elderly are amongst those who were displaced.  

He further said that in northern Gaza, “Palestinians staying around the Indonesian hospital and Tal Al Arabi school in the Al Fakhoura area were displaced today to Beit Lahya.”

Gaza’s Beit Lahia Declared ‘Disaster Area’ – Over 100 Killed in 24 Hours 

Dujarric revealed that since the start of the latest Israeli aggression in the north of Gaza on October 6, around 100,000 Palestinians were displaced from the North Gaza Governorate to Gaza City.

The UN spokesperson confirmed based on OCHA reports that aid operations are quasi-nonexistent in the north of Gaza.

“OCHA also tells us that, aside from limited missions, almost no aid operations have been permitted into (North) Gaza, where dwindling supplies, high casualties, frequent airstrikes on healthcare facilities, and widespread displacement continue to worsen an already dramatic humanitarian situation,” Dujarric concluded.   

Ceasefire to Save Lives

For his part, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reiterated on Wednesday the urgency of securing an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to safeguard the healthcare system in Gaza from collapse.

WHO’s director-general wrote in a post on X that “lives depend on it,” emphasizing the urgent need to sustain hospitals in the besieged enclave. 

“As the situation continues to worsen across the Strip, especially in the north, keeping hospitals functional is of utmost importance,” WHO’s chief said.

‘Lives Depend on it’ – WHO Calls for Ceasefire to Salvage Collapsing Health System in Gaza

The UN organization pointed out that the Kamal Adwan Hospital continues to receive “a constant stream of trauma patients” due to Israel’s ongoing aggression in northern Gaza.

According to an assessment by WHO, Kamal Adwan Hospital is running on extremely limited human and medical resources. 

“The hospital has just one pediatrician, one orthopedic surgeon and limited nursing staff,” Tedros said on X, accentuating that the medical facility and its equipment have sustained damage and so did its four ambulances that were destroyed during the latest siege.  

WHO announced that it completed four missions over the last two weeks to Kamal Adwan Hospital delivering “medical supplies, food and water for patients”, while stressing that “much more is needed.”                          

Genocide Continues

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,204 Palestinians have been killed, and 101,641 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

‘Deeply Disturbing’ – WHO Loses Contact with Kamal Adwan Hospital Staff after Israeli Raid

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety. 

(The Palestine Chronicle)

(The Palestine Chronicle)