Amanze ChinonyeThe World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned what it describes as a devastating and targeted series of attacks on its facilities and staff in the Gaza Strip, warning that its operational presence in the besieged territory has now been critically compromised.
In a statement on Tuesday, WHO said its staff residence in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, was attacked three times following the latest evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military. The attacks caused fires and significant damage, exposing WHO workers and their families, including children, to life-threatening danger.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAccording to the agency, Israeli forces entered the building during the raid, forcing women and children to flee on foot amid ongoing hostilities toward the Al-Mawasi area. Male staff and relatives were reportedly handcuffed, stripped, and interrogated at gunpoint. Two staff members and two relatives were detained, with three later released. One WHO employee remains in detention.
“This is a direct threat to our humanitarian mission,” WHO said. “We call for the immediate release of our detained staff member and the protection of all health and humanitarian personnel.”
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In a high-risk evacuation mission, 32 individuals sheltering in the residence were eventually moved to the WHO office, itself located close to conflict zones and now part of the growing list of affected facilities. The UN agency said it had earlier relocated 43 staff and family members to the same office, moving them under the cover of darkness amid intensified bombardments.
WHO’s main warehouse in Deir al-Balah, which held the majority of its medical supplies in Gaza, was also severely damaged after an airstrike triggered explosions and fires inside the building. The agency confirmed the facility was later looted by civilians, desperate amid growing shortages of food, water, and medicine.
“This attack is part of a broader pattern of systematic destruction of health infrastructure in Gaza,” WHO said, noting that the warehouse is located within an Israeli-declared evacuation zone. With the warehouse non-functional and most supply routes cut off, the agency warned it is now struggling to sustain any meaningful support to hospitals, emergency teams, and medical partners already short on critical resources.
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Despite the chaos, WHO said it will continue to maintain its presence in Deir al-Balah in accordance with the United Nations’ directive. However, it warned that 88 percent of the Gaza Strip is now either under evacuation orders or within militarized zones, leaving civilians and aid workers with virtually nowhere to go.
All WHO premises, including staff housing, offices, and warehouses, were reportedly pre-registered with the Israeli military and their coordinates shared in line with standard humanitarian protocols.
“Yet, these facilities have come under direct attack,” the agency said. “The continued targeting of humanitarian spaces is an egregious breach of international law.”
WHO is calling on member states to urgently facilitate the flow of medical supplies, fuel, and aid into Gaza, as well as for the unconditional release of all hostages, and the protection of healthcare workers and facilities.
“The red lines have been crossed repeatedly,” the statement read. “Life in Gaza is being relentlessly squeezed, and the chance to prevent further loss of life is slipping away. A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is long overdue.”
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