Dr Tedros said Kamal Advan was out of work after the raid and that his critically ill patients had been transferred to a “dysfunctional” Indonesian hospital, which he warned was badly damaged and unable to provide care.
“Amid ongoing chaos in northern Gaza, WHO and partners today delivered basic medical and hygiene supplies, food and water to an Indonesian hospital and transferred 10 critical patients to Al-Shifa Hospital (in Gaza City),” he said.
“Four patients were detained during transportation. We call on Israel to ensure that their health needs and rights are respected.”
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said one of the detained patients was in critical condition, and that seven patients and 10 medical staff remained in an Indonesian hospital.
Israeli forces launched a major ground offensive on the northern towns of Jabalia, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun on October 6, saying it was preventing Hamas from regrouping there. The UN says the areas are under almost total siege and that Israeli forces have been denied humanitarian aid for more than 11 weeks.
Dr. Tedros also said that Al-Ahli Hospital and Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital in Gaza City “also faced attacks” and both suffered damage.
On Sunday, seven people were killed and others seriously wounded in an Israeli strike on the top floor of al-Wafa Hospital, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defense Agency.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted Hamas militants who were using the building as a command center. It adds that the building was not used as a hospital at the time.
But a witness told the BBC that there were patients and medical staff inside the hospital.
A fourth-year medical student said she was in the hospital with her colleagues, preparing to take an exam, when she was bombed.
“There was a lot of smoke, we almost suffocated. Glass from broken windows fell on us. We hid under the tables and then ran away,” she added.
“When we went down the stairs, we saw patients in wheelchairs, others being transported. Our professor had a head injury, he was bleeding, some colleagues had minor injuries.”
The wounded were taken to Al-Ahli Hospital, which was apparently hit by Israeli shelling earlier on Sunday.
Videos posted online show damage to the top floor of one of the buildings at the site.
The Israeli military does not comment on these reports.
A displaced man who lives near Al-Ahly Hospital told BBC Arabic that he feared it would be next to be attacked by Israeli forces.
“If they besiege us here, where can we go then? How long will this suffering continue? We have been displaced about six or seven times,” he said. “They bombed all the houses, schools and hospitals. There is no longer any safe place where we can hide.’
Israel launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 45,540 people have died in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
