The UN team is trying to deliver fuel to the Nasser hospital. along destroyed roads, mid-February. Gaza: Successful efforts to evacuate hospital and deliver medicine despite restrictions Humanitarian aid
UN humanitarian agencies in Gaza expressed deep disappointment on Tuesday at ongoing restrictions imposed by the Israeli military. In particular, ambulances that evacuated patients from Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis were delayed for several hours over the weekend.
“This is not an isolated incident. Aid convoys are under fire and we are systematically denied access to those in need,” the UN Humanitarian Country Team in Palestine said following the evacuation of 24 patients.
Meanwhile, intense fighting continues across the sector, which began in response to Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, when about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.
Negotiations between Israeli authorities and Hamas officials on the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners continue amid numerous calls for a ceasefire. To date, nearly 30,000 Gazans have been killed, most of them women and children, according to the enclave’s health authorities.
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Obstacles on the way
Speaking about the evacuation of patients, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke said many of them, “if not all,” required surgical care that could not be provided at Al-Amal Hospital. However, 31 non-critical patients remained in hospital.
Speaking in Geneva, Laerke confirmed that Israeli authorities had been informed of the operation and confirmed receipt of notification within standard protocols. However, according to him, the military did not provide reasons for the delay of ambulances for at least seven hours. At the same time, the medical staff, Laerke said, were forced to get out of the cars and undress, two people have not yet been released.
Hospital under fire
The evacuation of patients was carried out under the guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO). On Sunday, the convoy arrived at Al-Amal, from where its partner organization, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), evacuated 24 patients, including a pregnant woman and a mother with her newborn baby.
The hospital, which is run by PCRS, has remained in the center of fighting in southern Gaza for more than a month. Patients and health workers at the facility suffered 40 attacks between January 22 and February 22, killing at least 25 people, according to the UN.
Health system
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva that only 12 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are now partially functioning – six in the south and six in the north.
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In addition, 15 ambulance teams have been deployed in the south of the strip, as well as four field hospitals with a total capacity of 305 hospital beds, he continued. At the same time, it would be better to “put Gaza’s healthcare system back on its feet” and return to duty all those medical workers who are ready to work even in the current situation in the enclave, the WHO representative added.
Coping with Challenges
On Saturday, the UN successfully delivered medicine, antibiotics and other medical supplies, as well as food, water and fuel for generators to Al-Amal.
“Health workers confirmed they were able to leave hospital buildings on Saturday after spending a month inside,” WHO said. “They feared for their lives, as there was fighting in the area, and the hospital was hit by shells many times.”
Before the war, the institution was designed for 100 patients and specialized on services for mothers and children. Bombing damage reduced capacity to approximately 60 hospital beds.