The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday condemned Israel for issuing evacuation orders in Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion, calling it a “death sentence” for the sick and injured Palestinians in hospitals in the region.
“Forcing more than 2000 patients to relocate to southern Gaza, where health facilities are already running at maximum capacity and unable to absorb a dramatic rise in the number patients, could be tantamount to a death sentence,” the organization wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Hospitals in the area were already operating on minimal resources after Israel cut off supplies — including water, food and fuel — to the Gaza Strip following Hamas’s surprise attack last weekend that killed over 1,000 Israelis. The organization earlier confirmed that despite rationing the supplies, hospitals were “beyond their capacity.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after the invasion. On Friday, Israel gave civilians in northern Gaza just over 24 hours to evacuate ahead of the expected offensive.
“The forced evacuation of patients and health workers will further worsen the current humanitarian and public health catastrophe,” the WHO wrote.
“The lives of many critically ill and fragile patients hang in the balance,” they argued, outlining patients that need to stay connected to life support machines, newborn babies on incubators, women with pregnancy complications and others.
The organization further argued that hospital directors and workers have to choose between abandoning ill patients or putting their lives at risk by attempting to transport them. They also warned that many displaced Palestinians have chosen to seek refuge in areas around hospitals.
WHO officials are calling for Israel to reverse its evacuation order for hospitals and ensure health facilities are protected.
“WHO also reiterates its calls for the immediate and safe delivery of medical supplies, fuel, clean water, food, and other humanitarian aid into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, where life-saving assistance, including WHO health supplies that arrived earlier today, is currently awaiting entry,” they concluded.
Israel has said it will not allow supplies into the territory until the more than 100 hostages taken by Hamas are freed.