The director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, appealed this Tuesday (21) for an end to the siege imposed on the Al-Awda hospital in Gaza, which has been surrounded by the Israel Defense Forces since Sunday ( 19).
According to Adhanom, there are 148 employees and 22 patients inside the hospital. “No one can enter or leave the building,” Adhanom wrote in X. “We are deeply concerned about the safety of staff and patients in the hospital. We call for them to be protected, for access to humanitarian aid and for an immediate ceasefire.”
Al-Awda Hospital in northern #Gaza has been under siege since 19 May, with no one allowed to leave or enter; 148 hospital staff, 22 patients and their companions are still trapped inside.
Medical staff inside the hospital reported an attack on 20 May, with snipers aiming at the…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 21, 2024
The director also states that no one has been injured so far, but that the hospital, which is located in the northern region of the Gaza Strip, is surrounded by elite snipers who keep staff and patients on the 5th floor at constant risk.
The last time the WHO team had access to the building was on May 13, when medical equipment and fuel were delivered to hospital staff.
According to the latest balance presented by the Israeli Defense Forces, Benjamin Netanyahu's office has delivered 23 thousand tons of medical equipment to the enclave since the start of the conflict.
The crisis at Al-Awda Hospital comes amid escalating international pressure on Israel to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The main access for humanitarian supplies, until then, was Rafah, close to the border with Egypt. The passage, however, has been blocked since Israeli troops began a partial occupation of the territory.
Source: CNN Brasil
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