Staff Reports
The World Health Organization announced that the northern Gaza region is in a dire state, with no fully functional hospital due to a lack of fuel, staff, and supplies. According to the WHO, only nine out of the 36 health facilities in the entire Gaza Strip were partially operational, all of which are located in the southern part of the enclave.
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in Gaza, emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that there are now no fully operational hospitals in the north. He described Al-Ahli Hospital, the last functioning hospital in the area, as a mere shadow of its former self, providing minimal care with limited resources and staff.
Northern Gaza no longer has a functional hospital, WHO says https://t.co/bRxt5LLSf0 pic.twitter.com/89ABG8Qoya
— New York Post (@nypost) December 21, 2023
Peeperkorn expressed concern for the lack of medical resources, including fuel, power, and essential medications, which has led to the inability to perform surgeries and provide adequate care for patients. He also highlighted the challenges in providing dignified burials for the victims of recent attacks, as the hospital’s capacity to handle the deceased was overwhelmed.
In addition to Al-Ahli Hospital, only three other health facilities in northern Gaza were minimally operational, with thousands of displaced individuals seeking shelter in these limited-capacity facilities. Peeperkorn stressed the urgency of the situation, stating that patients requiring surgery and essential medical care were at risk due to the lack of resources and the need for urgent transfers to survive.
The WHO reiterated its call for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow for the reinforcement and restocking of remaining health facilities, the provision of essential medical services, and, most importantly, to halt the ongoing bloodshed and death in the region.
