WHO says Gaza's al-Shifa hospital 'in ruins' after Israeli withdrawal
The World Health Organization (WHO) says one of the most important medical facilities in the Gaza Strip is no longer operational following the withdrawal from al-Shifa Hospital of the Israeli army.
"The al-Shifa hospital is now in ruins," said WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris in Geneva on Tuesday. "Destroying al-Shifa means ripping the heart out of the health system."
The facility in Gaza City offered specialized medical care. According to Harris, it had 750 beds, 25 operating theatres and 30 rooms for intensive care.
Overall, the WHO says that fewer than a third of the 36 clinics in the Gaza Strip are currently operational.
The Israeli army withdrew from al-Shifa on Sunday night, around two weeks after the start of the military operation there. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that more than 200 terrorists were killed in the operation at the hospital against Hamas, and that hundreds surrendered.
According to the civil defence, which is controlled by Hamas, around 300 bodies were found in and around the hospital. Israel accuses Hamas of systematically misusing medical facilities for military purposes, a charge that Hamas rejects.
