WHO denounces arbitrary Israeli obstacles to sending doctors and supplies to Gaza
The director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, denounced this morning Israel’s arbitrary denials of the entry of the organization’s humanitarian missions into Gaza, thus denying access to medical personnel, food, water and medicine.
Specifically, Ghebreyesus denounces in a message on northern Gaza) have been arbitrarily rejected, seriously damaging efforts to keep the hospital operational.” Kamal Adwan is one of two operational hospitals in northern Gaza.
“Two days ago, our team finally arrived at the hospital, but the deployment of medical personnel was denied for the fifth time,” he adds, despite which it was able to deliver 10,000 liters of fuel and key supplies for 1,500 trauma patients and was able to transport 23 patients and 22 caregivers to Al Shifa Hospital. “A patient and a caregiver were detained,” he denounces.
The director of the UN agency highlights that in northern Gaza “health workers are urgently needed” and to increase the arrival of medical supplies, which is why he calls on Israel to facilitate the deployment of medical and health personnel, “ensure the arrival of supplies and fuel to maintain operations at the hospital” and “ensure that detained patients and caregivers receive the care they need and their legal and human rights are respected.” He concludes with an exclamation: “Lasting peace is the best medicine. Cease fire now!”
These statements join those of the spokesman for the United Nations General Secretariat, Stéphane Dujarric, warning that “all attempts by the UN to support” the populations of northern Gaza, in particular Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya – all under siege by the Israeli Army – “have been denied or prevented.”
“This month alone, 27 of the 31 planned missions have been rejected, and the other four have suffered serious impediments, meaning that they have not been able to carry out all the critical work they had set out to do,” he reported.
