UN team declares Al-Shifa hospital of Gaza ‘death zone’; Who finds mass grave at entrance

Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital declared 'death zone'

The severe humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza, specifically at Al-Shifa Hospital, was described in detail by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday. This was after a joint UN humanitarian assessment team risked their lives to enter the hospital and assess the dire situation in the midst of Israeli airstrikes in the Hamas-controlled strip. The WHO reports that the operation, which was carried out in tandem with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to establish a secure path, was carried out in the midst of intense fighting near the hospital.

Desperate situation

The team, which consisted of public health specialists, logistics officers, and security personnel from OCHA, UNDSS, UNMAS/UNOPS, UNRWA, and WHO, called the situation “desperate” and the hospital a “death zone” during their hour-long trip inside the facility.

“Signs of shelling and gunfire were evident. The team saw a mass grave at the entrance of the hospital and was told more than 80 people were buried there,” the WHO statement said. Al-Shifa, which was formerly Gaza’s biggest and most sophisticated referral hospital, has been severely damaged by a lack of fuel, clean water, medications, and food, according to the WHO.

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Condition at Al-Shifa hospital of Gaza

The hospital now refers the ill and injured to the overcrowded Indonesian Hospital since it is unable to accept any more patients. According to the UN health agency, there are currently 25 medical personnel and 291 patients at Al-Shifa, including 32 infants in critical condition, 2 people in intensive care without ventilation, and 22 dialysis patients with limited access to life-saving care. “WHO and partners are urgently developing plans for the immediate evacuation of the remaining patients, staff and their families,” it said.

“Over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged to urgently transport patients” to other hospitals in the south of Gaza. WHO stated that there were fewer alternatives for medical care in the small coastal enclave and reiterated its need for an early ceasefire and ongoing humanitarian assistance.

Srishti Verma