WHO demands protection for Gaza health care facilities amid Israeli attacks

The World Health Organization (WHO) called Monday for an immediate end to Israeli attacks on medical facilities in Gaza following a strike that destroyed a critical storage unit and essential supplies.

“WHO calls for the protection of health care. Health care facilities must never be attacked or militarized,” Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

Over the weekend, an Israeli attack targeted a storage site adjacent to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, damaging the main building and destroying medical equipment, including items recently delivered by the WHO.

Ghebreyesus noted that despite an existing ceasefire, insecurity remains high in the enclave as residents struggle with malnutrition, disease and a lack of medical care.

Gaza’s Health Ministry warned Saturday that the destruction of the drug warehouse at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital has pushed the enclave’s medical system to the brink of collapse.

Since October 2023, the WHO has recorded nearly 1,000 attacks on health care in Gaza, resulting in more than 1,000 deaths and 1,700 injuries.

Israel has killed more than 73,000 people and injured over 174,000 others in a brutal war in Gaza since October 2023.

Despite a ceasefire agreement in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, Israel has continued its attacks across the enclave, killing 1,250 Palestinians and injuring 4,110 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.