WHO sounds the alarm
Aid has not reached northern Gaza for almost two weeks
January 8, 2024, 9:44 a.m
According to the WHO, hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip are “seriously understaffed”. Air strikes and interrupted communications also make it difficult to deliver aid. The World Health Organization warns of dramatic consequences.
According to its own information, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not been able to enter the north of the Gaza Strip for twelve days in the ongoing war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas. A planned mission to Al-Awda Hospital was canceled for the fourth time because security was not guaranteed, the WHO announced on Platform X. Heavy bombing, limited movement options and interrupted communication have made it “almost impossible” to deliver medical supplies to the isolated coastal strip and especially to its north.
The UN agency said hospitals were seriously understaffed because medical staff fled following evacuation calls. After the bloody terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th on the border with Israel, the Israeli army launched a ground offensive against the militants in the north.
Safe and unhindered access to the north of the Gaza Strip is urgently needed, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on X. “Further delays will lead to more deaths and suffering for too many people,” he wrote.
Israel reports “dismantling” of Hamas infrastructure
The Israeli military reported the military structure of the Islamist Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip as dismantled at the weekend. Spokesman Daniel Hagari said Hamas had two brigades with 12 regiments in the northern coastal strip before the war began three months ago. “In total there were about 14,000 terrorists,” said Hagari. Since then, numerous commanders have been killed and weapons and ammunition destroyed. The soldiers found underground tunnels and demolished them.
In the refugee district of Jabalia in the northern section of the Gaza Strip alone, eight kilometers of underground tunnels and 40 entrances were found, said Hagari. Hamas no longer functions in an organized manner in this area. “There are still terrorists in Jabalia, but now they operate without a framework and without commanders.” However, he expects continued sporadic rocket attacks on Israel from this area.