Israel-Hamas war: After refugee camp strike, WHO shares ‘heartbreaking’ evidence

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported “heartbreaking” testimony collected Monday by its team at a hospital in the Gaza Strip where victims of the al-Maghazi refugee camp bombing are being treated.

“The WHO team has heard heartbreaking stories from medical staff and victims of the suffering caused by the explosions,” UN chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X (formerly Twitter).

“The child lost his entire family during a strike in the camp. The nurse in the hospital suffered the same loss, her entire family died,” he added.

At least 70 people were killed in a strike on Sunday evening in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas health ministry. The Israeli army said it was “verifying the incident.” It was not possible to independently verify this figure.

“We need to cease fire immediately”

Scores of corpses in white body bags were lined up on the ground at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, before funerals.

According to the head of WHO, the hospital said it received about a hundred wounded after the explosion. “The number of patients being treated in the hospital far exceeds its capacity in terms of beds and staff,” he emphasized. “Many won’t be able to stand the wait.” “This latest attack on the population in the Gaza Strip clearly shows why we need an immediate ceasefire,” he wrote.

Sean Casey, a member of the WHO mission, explained that he witnessed the treatment of a seriously injured 9-year-old boy named Ahmed. “Before he died, he was given sedatives to ease his suffering,” he described in a video filmed at the hospital, appearing to hold back tears.

“He was crossing the street in front of the shelter where his family was, and the building next to him was damaged,” he said. “He was injured by shrapnel, debris, and brain tissue was damaged.”

“Nobody can do anything for him. Like many cases here, there is no capacity to treat complex neurological cases, complex trauma cases,” he lamented. “The operating rooms are open 24 hours a day. The emergency department is well beyond its capacity,” the WHO official said. “This situation is unacceptable,” he said angrily. “This has to stop.”