The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has voiced deep concern about the state of the health system in Gaza, calling it a tragedy and urging for a ceasefire. He also commended the medical workers in Gaza for their relentless efforts to save lives despite increasingly dire circumstances. Ghebreyesus stated that the health system in Gaza is being decimated, with only nine of the original 36 hospitals partially functional and overwhelmed. WHO has been sounding the alarm about the state of health care since the outbreak of the bloodiest war in Gaza, which has led to dire shortages of water, food, fuel, and medicine for the 2.4 million people in the region.

The UN health agency has reported that only 38 percent of pre-conflict hospital beds remained available in the Palestinian territory and only 30 percent of the original health staff were still working. Additionally, hospitals, which are protected under international humanitarian law, have been repeatedly hit by Israeli strikes, resulting in 582 deaths and 748 injuries. Ghebreyesus acknowledged the unbearable scenes witnessed by WHO staff at badly damaged hospitals, describing scenes of largely abandoned patients, including young children, begging for food and water.

He also emphasized that the situation in Gaza is unsustainable, with the health system on the verge of collapse. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using tunnels under hospitals and using medical facilities as command centers, a charge that has been denied by the Islamist group. Ghebreyesus has reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire in order to prevent further destruction of the health system and to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza.