Humanitarian Crisis Unfolding in Northern Gaza as Last Functional Hospital Struggles
The World Health Organization declared a dire situation in northern Gaza as the last functional hospital, Al-Ahli Hospital, faces a critical shortage of fuel, staff, and supplies. According to the WHO, only nine out of 36 health facilities are partially operational in the entire Gaza Strip, with all of them concentrated in the southern part of the enclave.
Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, conveyed the gravity of the situation during a video link from Jerusalem, stating that Al-Ahli Hospital, the final operational facility in the north, is now minimally functional and resembles a "shell of a hospital." With about 10 junior doctors and nurses, the hospital is providing limited care, focusing on basic first aid, pain management, and wound care, given the scarcity of resources.
Peeperkorn highlighted the challenges faced by Al-Ahli Hospital, emphasizing the lack of fuel, power, medical supplies, and health workers, including surgeons and specialists. Operating theaters are non-functional, and the hospital's courtyard is filled with the bodies of victims from recent Israeli attacks, awaiting safe and dignified burials.
In addition to Al-Ahli Hospital, the northern Gaza region has only three other minimally functioning health facilities: Al-Shifa, Al Awda, and Al Sahaba hospitals. Peeperkorn revealed that these hospitals are currently providing shelter to thousands of displaced people.
Patients at Al-Ahli Hospital are in critical condition, with some waiting for surgeries for weeks. The risk of postoperative infections looms due to the shortage of antibiotics and other essential drugs. Peeperkorn reiterated the WHO's urgent call for a humanitarian ceasefire, emphasizing the immediate need to reinforce and restock remaining health facilities, deliver essential medical services to the injured, and halt the ongoing bloodshed and loss of life.
