The death toll from intensified fighting “in the area” of the
training centre in the southern city of Khan Younis in recent
days has risen to 12 confirmed fatalities and 75 injured – 15
critically – said Thomas White, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator
for the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Persistent attacks on civilian sites in Khan Younis are
utterly unacceptable and must stop
immediately…Yesterday, the centre was hit by two shells
and caught fire,” Mr. White said, as he condemned the “consistent
failure to uphold the fundamental principles of international
humanitarian law: distinction, proportionality and precautions in
carrying out attacks”.
Terrified – and trapped
Amid ongoing heavy fighting involving Israeli Defense Forces and
Palestinian armed groups around hospitals and shelters in Khan
Younis, the UN official warned that staff, patients and displaced
people “are trapped inside and lifesaving operations are
impeded”.
“A number of missions to assess the situation were
denied,” Mr. White maintained, adding that on Wednesday
evening, “the UN finally managed to reach the affected areas to
treat trauma patients, bring medical supplies and evacuate
injured patients to Rafah.”
But, heavy fighting near the few hospitals that remain partly
functional in the southern city, including Nasser Medical Complex
and Al-Amal, has left them “effectively encircled”, the UN Deputy
Humanitarian Coordinator reported from Gaza.
Another hospital closes
Amid reports that hundreds of buildings have been demolished in
Gaza, Mr. White noted that Al-Kheir Hospital in Khan Younis had
now closed “after patients, including women who had just
undergone C-section surgeries, were evacuated in the middle of
the night”.
Rescue mission
Confirming details of the rescue mission in Khan Younis, UN World
Health Organization (WHO) Director-General
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
said that a team had helped to evacuate 45 patients from the UN
training centre to Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, “15 of whom were
in critical condition. One patient tragically died en route”.
In a social media post on X,
formerly Twitter, Tedros noted that the intensity of fighting was
such that the team “did not manage to evacuate all of the
injured".
"We urge protection of all civilians, humanitarians and health
workers. We appeal for an immediate ceasefire,” he stated.
Women and children take shelter in an overcrowded UNRWA facility
in Khan Younis, Gaza, amid nearby gunfire and shelling.
Court ruling looms
The development came as the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) prepared to issue a
decision in South Africa’s case against Israel over alleged
genocide in Gaza, which Israel strongly denies.
Since war began in Gaza on 7 October 2023 when Israel launched
heavy bombardment in response to Hamas-led attacks on Israeli
communities that left some 1,200 dead and more than 250 taken
hostage, Gaza health authorities have reported that at least
25,700 people have been killed and some 63,740 injured.
