KUALA LUMPUR – Israel’s strikes on Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters in south Gaza have earned the ire of World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He has branded the repeated attacks on its facility in Khan Yunis, which resulted in five casualties and three injuries, as unconscionable and deplorable.
“I deplore today’s strikes on the PRCS-run Al-Amal hospital,” he tweeted, adding that at least 14,000 people are sheltering at the facility.
Due to the siege on Gaza, droves of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge at the headquarters and at a nearby hospital but remain at risk as the buildings are targeted for attacks.
“Many of them have now left, and those remaining are extremely fearful for their safety and planning to leave a place they had turned to for refuge and protection.
“Hospitals, ambulances, health workers, and people seeking care must be protected at all times under international humanitarian law.
“Today’s bombardments are unconscionable. Gaza’s health system is already on its knees, with health and aid workers continuously stymied in their efforts to save lives due to the hostilities,” said Ghebreyesus.
He reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire as Gazans are living in “unspeakable conditions of hunger, disease spread, and a lack of hygiene and sanitation”.
Meanwhile, Hamas confirmed that an Israeli drone strike on a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut killed its deputy chief, Saleh al-Aruri, and five others believed to be his bodyguards.
Al-Aruri was elected deputy in 2017 and had spent nearly two decades in Israeli prisons before being released in 2010.
In response, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the killing, saying that this was aimed at drawing his country further into the war.
The relentless attack on Gaza since October 7 has left more than 22,000 Palestinians dead, mostly women and children, while Israel reported a death toll of 1,139.
During the October 7 attack, Hamas took some 250 hostages, of whom 129 remain in captivity. – January 3, 2024