According to WHO representative Tarik Jasarevic, a reported shooting at a hospital in Khan Younis has resulted in the death of 645 individuals and left 818 others injured since October 7th. There have also been allegations that a nurse was critically injured while working in an operating theater during this incident.

According to Mr. Jasarevic’s statement in Geneva, a total of 98 healthcare facilities have been impacted by the attacks. Out of the 36 hospitals, 27 have been damaged and 90 ambulances have been affected, with 50 sustaining damage.

Driven out 

According to the most recent report from OCHA, the UN’s aid coordination office, there was increased combat in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, on Thursday. This included shelling and intense gunfire.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), a partner of the UN, the UN aid coordination office reported that Nasser Hospital and Al Amal Hospital have been under siege for 17 days and are experiencing severe impacts from the ongoing violence. This is causing thousands of people to flee the city and seek refuge in Rafah, located further south.

Hospital focus

The OCHA update included information from the Gazan health authority regarding ongoing claims of sniper attacks near Nasser Hospital, as well as allegations that the Israeli military obstructed the movement of ambulances and entry to the facility.

According to the OCHA update, a nurse was allegedly shot and severely wounded while working in the operations room at Nasser Hospital on February 8th. Additionally, two Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed in the same area. On February 7th, a Palestinian woman was also reportedly shot and killed while supposedly getting water from Nasser Hospital.

West Bank escalation

The most recent information from the WHO also brought attention to the increasing amount of violence against healthcare facilities in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the Gaza-Israel conflict on October 7th. This was a result of terrorist attacks led by Hamas, which were widely condemned, and resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israeli and foreign citizens, as well as the kidnapping of over 250 individuals.

According to Mr. Jasarevic, there have been 364 instances of healthcare being targeted in the West Bank, leading to 10 deaths and 62 injuries. This has resulted in damage to 44 healthcare facilities, including 15 mobile clinics and 24 ambulances.

According to the local health authority, the current death toll from the conflict in Gaza is at least 27,840, with over 67,300 people injured. The Israeli military reports that as of 8 February, 225 soldiers have lost their lives and 1,314 have been injured during the ground operation in Gaza.

Renewed famine fears

Humanitarian workers from the UN have consistently raised awareness of the growing threat of famine in Gaza, specifically in the northern region, which is intensifying each day.

According to OCHA, a large number of individuals in this area have been effectively disconnected from aid, even though they are in the most dire need. Some are said to be resorting to crushing animal food in order to produce flour.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has transported 1,940 trucks, which makes up 19% of all aid trucks, and delivered over 32,413 tons of essential food supplies since the crisis began.

According to OCHA’s report, the most recent food distribution in the northern area of Wadi Gaza by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, was on January 23.

Buffer rebuff

On Friday, the United Nations expressed serious concerns about the potential for increased violence in the densely populated area of Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) emphasized that any efforts by Israel to establish a “buffer zone” with Gaza may be considered a violation of international law.

The OHCHR spokesperson, Marta Hurtado, stated that according to Article 53 of the Geneva Convention, the occupying power is not allowed to destroy property belonging to private individuals unless it is deemed absolutely necessary due to military operations.

“Destruction carried out to create a buffer zone for general security purposes do not appear consistent with the …military operations.”

Commando comment

When asked to respond to an Israeli counter-terrorism mission in a West Bank hospital that resulted in the deaths of three Palestinian militants at the end of last month, Ms. Hurtado acknowledged that Israeli security personnel had stated that one of the individuals targeted was armed. However, the hospital staff refuted this claim.

She stated that there were no reports of gunfights and stressed that according to international human rights law, guns should only be used in situations where it is absolutely necessary to prevent immediate danger to life or serious harm, otherwise it is considered illegal.

Source: news.un.org