Gaza Civil Defense reported 300 deaths in and around the hospital as a result of Israeli operations. Human cost For civilians this is monstrous.says Margaret Harris, representative of the World Health Organizationin a statement to the correspondent RFI in Geneva, Jérémie Lanche: “We know that at least 21 patients died during the siege. There was no food or water: They had to share one bottle for every 15 people. There were no toilets. “There were patients in the intensive care unit who had urinary catheters installed, but there were no more bags, so you can imagine the horror…”

The horror continues in the few other hospitals that still exist. Kamal Advan Hospital receives every day about fifteen malnourished children. Without food for babies and their mothers, infant mortality in the Gaza Strip is skyrocketing. And now that Al-Shifa is no more, it will be even worse. Destroying al-Shifa means tearing out the heart of Gaza’s health system,” adds Margaret Harris. “It was a huge hospital: 750 beds, 25 operating rooms, 30 intensive care units… It was a place where people went for good care.”

Should we stay in Gaza?

Following the deaths of seven other aid workers in the Israeli attack, this question is also being asked of UN agencies. Should they stay in Gaza? Or evacuate personnel who were attacked, even if their movements were reported to the army? Since the start of the war, several NGOs with a presence in the Gaza Strip have said that their staff or facilities have come under Israeli attacks.