The World Health Organization in Palestine warned on Thursday of the horrific humanitarian consequences that would result from the Israeli military assault on Gaza City, which Israel has decided to occupy.
“The Israeli army’s targeting of Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on August 25 is deeply concerning,” said Rick Peeperkorn, the organization’s representative in Palestine, in a press statement. He noted that “the attack resulted in the deaths of at least 20 civilians, including five journalists, and the injury of more than 50 people, including patients.”
“While people are dying of hunger in Gaza and access to healthcare is already limited, the repeated attacks on Nasser Hospital have made the situation even worse,” Peppercorn added. “Nasser Hospital is currently the most important and largest referral hospital in Gaza.”
He added, “The health system in Gaza is paralyzed and collapsing. Less than half of the hospitals are only partially functioning, and for more than 2.1 million people, Nasser Hospital is a lifeline for thousands.”
Peppercorn pointed out that the three main hospitals in the Gaza Strip—Al-Ahli, Al-Shifa, and Nasser—are operating at three times their capacity due to a lack of resources.
He added that the latest report issued by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed the existence of famine in Gaza City, noting that more than half a million people in the northern Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions of hunger, poverty, and death.
He stressed that “the effects on the people will be horrific and terrifying. In short, this must never happen, and a ceasefire must be reached immediately.
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