The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed its concerns on Friday regarding a potential mass evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip, emphasizing that such an action would have devastating consequences for hospital patients, particularly with hospitals in the southern region already operating at full capacity.
Amidst rising tensions, Israel has issued a 24-hour ultimatum for Palestinians to vacate the northern Gaza Strip, signaling an anticipated ground offensive as retaliation for a severe attack – one of the deadliest in Israeli history – conducted by Hamas.
The UN health agency, in a statement, conveyed that the Palestinian Ministry of Health has conveyed the impossibility of safely evacuating vulnerable hospital patients without putting their lives in jeopardy. The WHO highlighted that the two primary hospitals in northern Gaza have far exceeded their collective 760-bed capacity, leading to severe overcrowding. Furthermore, they stated that among the thousands of patients receiving care, hundreds are severely wounded, and more than 100 require critical care, including the most critically ill individuals. Moreover, many others with injuries or health needs are unable to access essential medical care. Meanwhile, the southern Gaza Strip is also grappling with overburdened health ministry hospitals, which lack the necessary critical care capacity and supplies to manage additional patients, as per the WHO’s assessment.
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