UN Warns of Humanitarian Collapse in Gaza as Kamal Adwan Hospital Goes Out of Service

UN Warns of Humanitarian Collapse in Gaza as Kamal Adwan Hospital Goes Out of Service

In this file photo, taken in February 2024, Palestinian child Yazan Kafarneh lies on a hospital bed at Al-Awda clinic in Rafah, southern Gaza. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned of the disintegration of essential services in the occupied Palestinian Territory due to Israel’s relentless attacks on hospitals.

According to OCHA, relentless attacks are dismantling the very foundations of survival, including healthcare, emergency services, and humanitarian access, while civilians continue to face deadly assaults on an hourly basis.

"We've been very clear in the fact that we condemn any action that targets civilians and civilian infrastructure, and hospitals. We've called repeatedly for them to be respected as this is a safe space area where people go to seek medical assistance," Florencia Soto Nino, the UN chief’s associate spokesperson, told reporters during a news conference.

The situation in Gaza has worsened with the announcement from the World Health Organization (WHO) that Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza is no longer operational.

Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, confirmed that the hospital was rendered out of service following an Israeli raid on Friday. During the raid, patients and staff were forcibly evacuated, and the hospital’s director was detained.

In a collaborative effort to address the dire situation, multiple UN agencies, including OCHA, WHO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Palestine Red Crescent Society, delivered basic medical supplies, food, and water to patients and caregivers displaced from Kamal Adwan Hospital. These individuals were relocated to the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza, which is also now non-functional.

However, humanitarian workers report that the conditions for those who remain at the devastated Kamal Adwan facility are catastrophic. Ten patients were evacuated from the hospital, but four were arrested at a checkpoint by Israeli forces.

"Seven patients, along with 15 caregivers and health workers, remain at the facility, which is severely damaged and has no ability now to provide medical care. The team reported also that the hospital has no water, electricity or sanitation," she said.

OCHA revealed that access for humanitarian missions remains severely restricted. Since October, over 150 attempts to reach areas in critical need have been denied by Israeli authorities. The rare mission allowed on Sunday was heavily impeded, with three out of four access attempts between Friday and Sunday rejected.

OCHA emphasized that humanitarian access should not require breaking a siege, calling for safe and unhindered passage to provide assistance to those in urgent need.

Stressing that Israel's restrictions on aid continues, she stated that such impediments "continue to paralyze the humanitarian operation at times when families urgently need food, shelter, clothing, especially as the winter is hitting them hard."

"OCHA today warned that the very means of people's survival are being dismantled. This includes an onslaught on healthcare, emergency services and humanitarian access, alongside relentless attacks that kill and maim civilians by the hour," she added.

The UN reiterated its call for immediate measures to protect civilians, ensure the functionality of essential services, and provide unfettered access to humanitarian aid to prevent further loss of life and alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s population.

Short Link : https://prc.org.uk/en/news/6834