UN agencies provided urgent medical supplies, as well as fuel and food at Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Monday (26/2).
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UN officials are assessing the damage and meeting with patients and medical staff at the facility
“The level of destruction is unimaginable. However, there are still patients here. “Our top priority is to identify a number of them and refer them so that treatment for them can continue,” said Dr Athanasios Gargavanis, a trauma surgeon and emergency officer at WHO.
According to WHO, Al-Amal hospital had 100 beds before the war, providing medical care mainly to children and pregnant women, but after damage to the third floor of the hospital, its capacity was reduced to 60 beds.
Speaking from Geneva on Monday at the start of the six-week session, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Guterres reiterated his call for a humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the release of hostages being held in Gaza. He also highlighted human rights violations during the conflict.
“There is a fundamental connection between peace and human rights. Human rights are under attack on all fronts, especially in conflict, as states ignore commitments to the UN Charter and international humanitarian law and international human rights law. “So, civilians are also affected, suffering very badly, and we see this in the clear violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza,” Guterres said.
UN agencies say that about a quarter of Gaza's population is starving, especially in northern Gaza. (lt/hour)