- On Wednesday, the Hamas-run Gaza government said 20,000 people had been killed there since Israel launched its military campaign against the group
- And the UN Security Council again postponed a meeting to discuss calls for “urgent humanitarian pauses” in Gaza
- A draft resolution by the United Arab Emirates also called for the return of hostages and a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians
- Israel began its campaign in Gaza after Hamas broke through the heavily-guarded perimeter with Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages, some of whom have been freed
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The World Health Organization has revealed a dare situation, saying that northern Gaza has been left without a functional hospital due to lack of fuel, staff and supplies.
“There are actually no functional hospitals left in the north,” Richard Peeperkorn, WHO representative in Gaza, tells reporters via video link from Jerusalem, according to Reuters news agency.
“Al-Ahli (Hospital) was the last one but it is now minimally functional.”
Hospitals and medical facilities have been caught up in the intense fighting raging across the territory while also facing a lack of supplies and power shortages.
After a visit to al-Ahli on Wednesday, teams from the WHO and the UN reported that the hospital was overwhelmed with people needing emergency care and bodies were lined up in rows in the courtyard.
In a post on X on Wednesday, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said until two days ago, the hospital was the last place performing surgery in northern Gaza but the operating theatres were now no longer functioning.
Only four hospitals in northern Gaza were left, providing very limited care, he added.