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The World Health Organization said it had regained contact with staff at a hospital in besieged northern Gaza, confirming that three medical workers were injured and 44 people were detained.
Kamal Adwan, the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, “is still under siege, but we have managed to contact staff,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late Friday. He spoke on the X broadcast.
“Three health workers and one staff member were injured, 44 health workers were detained and four ambulances were damaged,” he said.
The Gaza Health Ministry on Friday accused Israeli forces of attacking Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabalia camp, where they launched a major operation earlier this month.
The newspaper said two children were killed in the attack and accused Israeli forces of detaining hundreds of staff, patients and refugees during the attack.
The Israeli military said its forces were active in the area around Kamal Adwan, but were “not aware of any live ammunition or attacks near the hospital.”
Amid the chaos, the WHO announced on Friday afternoon that it had lost contact with Kamal Adwan’s staff, a development Tedros described as “very worrying” in an earlier post on X.
Tedros said WHO and partner agencies arrived at the hospital late Wednesday night and successfully transferred 23 patients and 26 caregivers to the Palestinian territory’s main Al-Shifa hospital.
“The Kamal Adwan Hospital is overflowing with nearly 200 patients, with a constant stream of horrific traumatic incidents. It is also full with hundreds of people seeking shelter,” he said.
In his second post, Tedros emphasized that “a total of approximately 600 patients, healthcare workers and individuals are currently evacuated in hospitals.”
“The siege and attack on health workers occurred just hours after a WHO-led mission to deliver essential supplies to keep the facility open and transport critically ill patients to Al Shifa Hospital,” he said. said.
“We urge you to protect your hospitals, healthcare workers and patients. Ceasefire!”
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