The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that at the moment, "only one third of Gaza's hospitals are partially functional" due to the consequences of the Israeli attacks on the enclave. "Only one third of Gaza's hospitals are partially functional and struggling to cope with the needs due to lack of adequate supplies, equipment, fuel and exhausted staff," the official wrote in a post on the X social network (formerly Twitter). Regarding the victims of the Israeli bombing that took place on Sunday night in Rafah, which left dozens dead, Tedros revealed that the injured are being treated at "an already overwhelmed WHO-supported trauma stabilization point as well as other field hospitals" in the southern city of the Gaza Strip. "As the violence in Rafah continues to escalate, almost one million displaced people are once again seeking safety that does not exist in Gaza. The continued closure of the Rafah crossing, the lack of fuel and aid to enter and move around Gaza, and the frequent delays and denials of missions are choking our capacity to support the health system at a time when operations should be rapidly scaling up to meet the growing needs," the official also said. Finally, the official appealed to "open the Rafah crossing" in order to "ensure that missions can proceed in a timely manner." "Protect civilians and health care. Ceasefire," Tedros reiterated.

.@WHO deplores the airstrike on Sunday night in Rafah that reportedly killed 45 displaced people sheltering in tents.

The injured were brought for treatment to the already overwhelmed WHO-supported trauma stabilisation point as well as to other field hospitals in Rafah.

As…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 28, 2024

It is worth recalling that the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the attack by the Islamist group Hamas on Israeli soil on 7 October 2023, which caused about 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to the Israeli authorities.

Since then, Israel has launched an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has caused more than 36,000 deaths, according to Hamas, which has governed the small Palestinian enclave since 2007.

Rafah, on the border with Egypt, is the main crossing point for humanitarian aid to Gaza and where more than one million displaced Palestinians from other areas of the territory have taken refuge.

Despite international appeals, Israel maintains its military action in Rafah, where it says the last active units of the Palestinian extremist group Hamas are located.

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