WHO to expand medical services after staff residence in Gaza attacked by IDF
LONDON -- The World Health Organization said it will expand its medical services in Gaza, even after its staff residence in Deir al Balah, Gaza, was attacked three times by the Israel Defense Forces, WHO officials said Tuesday.
"This is not a moment to be desperate and to be backing out. This is a moment to reorganize, reflect and see indeed like a plan of how we can expand," WHO Representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territories Dr. Rik Peeperkorn said at a United Nations virtual press briefing.
"The evacuation orders in Gaza have severely affected the WHO, but I want to stress, we remain on the ground. We stay and deliver. And we will expand our operation," he added.
On Monday, the Israeli military entered the staff residences at the WHO, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi, according to the Tuesday statement.
Four people -- two WHO staff and two male family members -- were detained. Three were released, while one staff member, a cleaner/caretaker of the office, is still in Israeli custody, Peeperkorn said.
A statement released by the IDF on Tuesday described military action, including detaining "several individuals suspected of involvement in terrorism," although it was not immediately clear whether it was detailing its interaction with WHO staff.
The IDF said its troops were fired on "in the Deir al Balah area, and responded toward the area from which the shooting originated."
The IDF said it is sometimes "necessary for individuals suspected of terrorist activity to temporarily remove parts of their clothing in order to ensure that they are not concealing explosive belts or other weapons."
The WHO's main warehouse, which held "substantial supplies of essential medical supplies and medicines," including trauma and surgical supplies, key antibiotics, cancer medication, diabetes medication and dialysis supplies, were damaged by Israeli military attacks, Peeperkorn said.
WHO employees and their families, including children, were traumatized after air strikes caused a fire and significant damage, Peeperkorn said.
While women and children were forced to evacuate on foot amid an active conflict during the attack, male staff and family members were "handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on spot and screened at gunpoint," Peeperkorn said.
"WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there, and the destruction of its main warehouse," WHO said.
The Israeli military earlier said it had been "in contact" with international organizations prior to the start of its action in Deir Al Balah.
"We emphasize that the IDF maintains continuous and consistent contact with the international organizations, and throughout the war, the IDF has facilitated the safe evacuations of their personnel from evacuated areas, in coordination with the troops and in accordance with operational requirements," the IDF said.
Most of the WHO's staff housing was inaccessible after the attacks, the organization said in its statement, adding that at least 43 staff members and their families were relocated from several staff residences to the WHO office "under darkness and at significant risk."
"WHO is appalled by the dangerous conditions under which humanitarians and health workers are forced to operate," WHO officials said on Tuesday. "As the security situation and access continue to deteriorate, red lines are repeatedly crossed, and humanitarian operations pushed into an ever-shrinking space to respond."
The organization added, "We reiterate our call for the active protection of civilians, health care and its premises and for rapid and unimpeded flow of aid, including food, fuel and health supplies, at scale into and across Gaza."
The IDF said it "should be emphasized that the suspects are treated in accordance with international law."
WHO officials said the organization had shared the coordinates of all its premises, including its warehouses and staff housing, with "the relevant parties." But the group said its main warehouse filled with medical supplies was targeted, causing "explosions and fire inside," and later looted "by desperate crowds."
"Any threat to these premises is a threat to the entire humanitarian health response in Gaza," the organization said.
"We urgently call on member states to help, to actually increase the support to WHO, and to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza," Peeperkorn said.
