In a stark assessment, a World Health Organization (WHO)-led humanitarian assessment team visited Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza and reported signs of shelling and gunfire, describing the facility as a “death zone.” The team, which included public health experts, logistics officers, and security staff from various U.N. departments, spent only an hour inside the hospital on Saturday due to security concerns.
The situation inside Al Shifa Hospital was deemed “desperate,” with the facility not functioning as a medical facility due to a scarcity of clean water, fuel, medicine, and other essentials. The team observed signs of shelling and gunfire, noting a mass grave at the entrance where more than 80 people were reportedly buried.
The hospital grounds were filled with medical and solid waste, and patients and health staff expressed fear for their health and safety. Al Shifa Hospital, a critical medical facility, was described as a “death zone” with a desperate need for resources.
There were 25 health workers and 291 patients, including 32 babies in critical condition, remaining in Al Shifa. The WHO and its partners are urgently developing plans for the immediate evacuation of the remaining patients, staff, and their families. Additional missions are being arranged over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties involved in the conflict, to transport patients to other hospitals in the south of Gaza.
Israeli forces seized Al Shifa as part of their offensive across north Gaza, alleging it concealed an underground Hamas command center. Al Shifa staff dispute these claims. The visit was coordinated with the Israeli military to reduce risks but occurred in an active conflict zone, with heavy fighting close to the hospital.
WHO reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and sustained humanitarian assistance, highlighting the dwindling options for medical care in the small coastal enclave. The Israeli military has not immediately commented on the WHO statement or the visit.
The remaining 2,500 internally displaced people who sought refuge on Al Shifa grounds were evacuated after the Israeli Defense Forces issued evacuation orders on Saturday. WHO continues to emphasize the urgent need for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid to address the escalating crisis.
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