WHO Condemns Attacks on Staff and Facilities in Gaza
The World Health Organization has strongly condemned what it called "attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza," saying its workers and their families were put in grave danger. The WHO reports that the Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to flee on foot during active fighting, while male staff were "handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint." One WHO staff member remains detained, while three others have been released.
The same day, the agency’s main warehouse in Deir al Balah was hit, catching fire and later being looted. The WHO says this is part of a “pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities,” and it warns that its ability to support Gaza’s health system, which is already near collapse, is now severely compromised. The UN agency emphasized that all its facility locations were previously shared with the parties involved and demanded “protection of all our staff and its premises.”
While the Israeli military acknowledged ongoing operations in the area, it did not mention WHO specifically, stating only that it had been "in contact with international organizations" and had helped evacuate personnel "in accordance with operational requirements." With nearly 88% of Gaza under evacuation orders or within militarized zones, the WHO reiterated its call for unimpeded aid, protection for health workers, and an urgent ceasefire.
