He added that half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and two-thirds of primary health care centers are not working, and that those that are still operating are far beyond their capacity, describing the health care system as “on the verge of collapse.”
“Hospital corridors are crowded with the wounded, sick and dying. The morgues are overcrowded. Surgeries are being performed without anesthesia. Tens of thousands of displaced people are taking shelter in hospitals,” Tedros told the 15-member council.
“On average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza,” Tedros said.
He added that since October 7, the World Health Organization has verified more than 250 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza and the West Bank, while 25 attacks have occurred on healthcare facilities in Israel. Israel says that Hamas hides weapons in tunnels under hospitals, which the movement denies.
Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, told the Security Council that Israel has formed a task force to establish hospitals in southern Gaza. On October 12, Israel ordered about 1.1 million people in Gaza to move south before its ground invasion.
Robert Wood, deputy US envoy to the United Nations, said that the United States is working to try to deliver fuel to hospitals in Gaza, stressing the need to respect and protect civilian and humanitarian facilities in accordance with international law.
Wood said that Hamas is using civilians as human shields.
He added, “These cowardly methods do not diminish Israel’s responsibility to distinguish between civilians and terrorists in its war against Hamas. The risks of harming civilians in sites used by Hamas for military purposes must be taken into account when planning an operation.”
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