The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Gaza fighting spreads into hospitals where there’s ‘no way in and out’
Amid continuing heavy fighting in Gaza on Tuesday morning including reported attacks on hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis, UN humanitarians expressed deep concern for patients and others seeking treatment who had “no way in and out”.
Speaking in Geneva, Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that Al-Khair Hospital was “one of the two hospitals that is now being raided”, while Nasser Hospital was “now basically besieged around the hospital and has no way in and out”.
“I know it must be a horrible scenario on the ground there with people not knowing what the next minutes will bring.”
Desperate health needs
The WHO spokesperson added that only 14 hospitals are still functioning in Gaza - seven in the north and seven in the south - where health needs are overwhelming after more than three months of heavy bombardment by Israeli Defense Forces, triggered by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel that left some 1,200 dead and approximately 250 taken hostage.
The development follows an alert on X, formerly Twitter, from WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday evening about reports of “continuous fighting” near hospitals in Kheir Younis, where violence prevented “newly injured people outside the hospitals from being reached and receiving care”.
The situation is “absolutely unacceptable and not what any health facility anywhere in the world should go through”, Mr. Lindmeier insisted, noting that some 20 hospitals no longer function across Gaza.
Aid convoys held up
Underscoring the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave, the WHO spokesperson described how desperate and hungry Gazans have become, in their search for food. “One of the convoys had mainly fuel for hospitals on it but the people were holding it up as multiple times it was trying to move forward and trying to leave and trying to get onto the road because they were so desperate looking for food.”
Echoing that warning, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that more than half a million people in Gaza continue to face “catastrophic food insecurity levels”.
The risk of famine increases each day as conflict continues to limit the delivery of lifesaving food assistance, said Abeer Etefa, WFP’s Middle East And North Africa Senior Communications Officer and spokesperson.
“It is the largest concentration of people in what looks like famine-like conditions anywhere in the world. And also how fast we got to this point is extremely concerning.”
The WFP spokesperson also noted that children who had been evacuated for treatment on the Egyptian side of the border appeared malnourished, underweight and “extremely thin”.
She added: “If we don't have a more humanitarian pause, a ceasefire, more access to people, we're going to see, you know, these people are starving already and they will be in a very difficult situation.”
ends
TRT: 2 mins 19s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 23 January 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Medium: UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide: UN Geneva press briefing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) (in Geneva): “We now have 14 - and that's important, 14 - partially functioning hospitals: seven in north and seven in the south; and with two minimal functioning ones, Al-Khair Hospital which is one of the two hospitals that is now being raided and we don't have specific updates on the situation, and the Nasser Hospital that is now basically besieged around the hospital and has no way in and out. I know it must be a horrible scenario on the ground there with people not knowing what the next minutes will bring.”
- Wide: UN Geneva press briefing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Abeer Etefa, Middle East And North Africa Senior Communications Officer and spokesperson, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) (in Cairo): “It is the largest concentration of people in what looks like famine-like conditions anywhere in the world. And also how fast we got to this point is extremely concerning.”
- Medium: UN Geneva press briefing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Abeer Etefa, Middle East And North Africa Senior Communications Officer and spokesperson, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) (in Cairo): “We have more than half a million people in Gaza facing catastrophic food insecurity levels and the risk of famine increases each day as the conflict is limiting the delivery of, you know, lifesaving food assistance to people in need.”
- Medium: UN Geneva press briefing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) (in Geneva): “One of the convoys had mainly fuel for hospitals on it but the people were holding it up as multiple times it was trying to move forward and trying to leave and trying to get onto the road because they were so desperate looking for food.”
- Close: UN Geneva press briefing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Abeer Etefa, Middle East And North Africa Senior Communications Officer and spokesperson, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) (in Cairo): “Children that are being evacuated to get treatment on the Egyptian side of the border. You know, reports of malnutrition and children who've lost a lot of weight, extremely thin.”
- Wide: UN Geneva press briefing.
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): Abeer Etefa, Middle East And North Africa Senior Communications Officer and spokesperson, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) (in Cairo): “If we don't have a more humanitarian pause, a ceasefire, more access to people, we're going to see, you know, these people are starving already and they will be in a very difficult situation.”
- Medium: UN Geneva press briefing.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Sudan: The harrowing reality of giving birth in a war zone
Sudanese women about to give birth are losing their babies and sometimes their own lives because of a lack of specialist healthcare support, amid the ongoing war, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Colombia earthquake: International teams ready to support, says UN
As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got” if and when the request came from the authorities.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Tuesday.