WHO Condemns Israeli Strikes on Gaza Facilities, Reports Staff Detentions Amid Escalating Crisis
WHO Condemns Israeli Strikes on Gaza Facilities, Reports Staff Detentions Amid Escalating Crisis
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a strong condemnation following Israeli military actions that reportedly struck its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on Monday. These incidents, which included airstrikes causing extensive damage and a fire, have severely compromised the WHO’s critical humanitarian operations in the besieged territory.
The WHO detailed multiple attacks on its staff residence, endangering personnel and their families, including children. In a concerning development, Israeli forces reportedly entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate, while male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff members and two family members were initially detained, with one staff member reportedly remaining in detention. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has demanded the immediate release of the detained staff and protection for all personnel.
These incidents occurred as Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah on Monday, an area densely populated by displaced Palestinians and a crucial hub for humanitarian efforts. Local medics reported tank shelling in the area killed at least three Palestinians and wounded several others. Gaza’s health ministry reported on Monday one of the highest daily casualty tolls in recent weeks, with at least 130 Palestinians killed and over 1,000 wounded across the territory in the preceding 24 hours.
UN officials, including spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, condemned the attacks on UN premises, emphasizing their inviolability despite prior notification of locations to all parties. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed alarm over the accelerating breakdown of humanitarian conditions, warning that “the last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing.” Humanitarian agencies, including Unrwa, continue to report dire warnings of starvation from within Gaza, while aid stockpiles remain just outside the territory, blocked by the ongoing siege.
The broader conflict continues to escalate, with reports early Tuesday of Israeli tanks firing on tents housing displaced families in al-Shati camp, western Gaza City, killing at least 12 Palestinians. Furthermore, an Israeli undercover unit reportedly detained Marwan Al-Hams, head of Gaza’s field hospitals and the health ministry spokesperson, in a raid on Monday that killed a local journalist. International pressure is mounting, with more than two dozen Western countries calling for an immediate end to the war on Monday, citing the “new depths” of suffering. However, Israeli and US officials have countered, arguing that pressure should be directed at Hamas.
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