Panic in hospital after bombings in North Gaza
Published: Friday, Dec 6th 2024, 13:20
Back to Live Feed
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heavy bombardments and an Israeli tank on the doorstep have caused panic at the Kamal Adwan hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Although there was no official evacuation order from the Israeli army, reports of an imminent attack spread during the night, said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the Israeli-occupied territories. He spoke to reporters in Geneva via video link from Gaza. People had climbed over the walls to escape and there had been reports of fatalities.
After weeks of unsuccessful attempts, the WHO was only able to bring an emergency aid team to the hospital a few days ago, including two Indonesian surgeons, said Peeperkorn. They had fled to safety this morning together with a stream of refugees and reported on the events.
The plight of the seriously injured and seriously ill
According to Peeperkorn, an estimated 12,000 injured and sick people are urgently waiting to leave the country because they cannot be treated locally. Before the fighting began more than a year ago, 50 patients a day would have left the Gaza Strip for treatment. Since May, only around 380 have been evacuated, mainly to the United Arab Emirates. These include people who were seriously injured by the Israeli bombardments as well as cancer patients.
Peeperkorn called for safe routes for the evacuation of people who urgently needed help abroad.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic