3:22 PM ET April 5, 2024
UN agency completes 'very complex mission' to deliver medical aid to hospital in northern Gaza
From CNN's Ami Kaufman and Kaitlyn Danaher
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday completed a “very complex mission” to deliver medical aid to a hospital in northern Gaza.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the supplies had been delivered to around 1,000 patients at Al-Sahaba and Al-Ahly hospitals, despite “continuing hostilities” in Gaza City. As mentioned in the X Friday post.
A pallet of canned food also arrived at Al Sahaba Hospital, and a patient with complex injuries to his lower limbs was safely transferred from Al Ahli to a field hospital in Rafah, Tedros said.
“On the way north, desperate and hungry communities have self-distributed some medical supplies and food,” Tedros added, but needed more to serve “hundreds of patients.” They said they needed medical supplies and food.
In closing, Tedros reiterated his call for “sustained and safe transit for humanitarian aid” and called for an immediate ceasefire.
Some context: After months of difficulties obtaining aid in the Gaza Strip where it is needed most, much-needed medical supplies have been successfully delivered. United Nations agencies reported that heavy bombing, movement restrictions, and communications disruptions have made it nearly impossible to regularly and safely deliver medical supplies.
WHO said at the time that medical aid and relief teams were forced to cancel multiple delivery missions in January because they did not receive safety guarantees.
According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Israeli authorities rejected 30% of humanitarian aid missions to northern Gaza in March.
