Latest news with #Salha
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
North Gaza's only operating hospital evacuated after Israeli order
The last hospital providing health services in the North Gaza governorate has ceased operations following an immediate evacuation order from the Israeli military, according to the facility's director. Dr. Mohammed Salha told the BBC that patients were evacuated from al-Awda hospital in Jabalia on Thursday evening after enduring 'two weeks of siege,' leaving the region without any functioning health facilities. There is now 'no health facility working in the north,' he said. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have not responded to requests for comment. Dr. Salha described the evacuation as a difficult decision, prompted by threats from Israeli forces to either enter and kill those inside or bomb the hospital. 'We were thinking of the lives of patients and our staff,' he said. The hospital endured intense shelling from tanks starting around noon local time. Despite initial resistance to evacuate due to the presence of critical patients, after seven hours of negotiations, the evacuation began. Patients were carried over 300 meters to ambulances, as surrounding roads were heavily damaged. Videos from hospital staff showed ambulances and vehicles departing the facility at sunset and travelling through Jabalia after dark. Patients were transferred to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Dr. Salha noted plans to provide some services through a primary health centre in Gaza City and possibly establish another in a shelter. Israel continues its military operations in Gaza, with at least 72 people reported killed in strikes over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The hospital had been under siege multiple times and hit by strikes damaging vital facilities and supplies. UN agencies report that most primary healthcare centres in Gaza are partially or fully non-functional. Only 61 out of 158 primary healthcare centres and nine out of 27 UN Palestinian refugee agency health centres remain operational. The UN has condemned looting of medical aid at a field hospital in central Gaza. UN Secretary-General António Guterres's spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said armed individuals looted warehouses intended for malnourished children. UN humanitarian agencies warn that Gaza's 2.1 million residents face a 'critical risk' of famine due to the blockade restricting aid. Jens Laerke from the UN's OCHA agency described Gaza as 'the hungriest place on earth.' France's President Emmanuel Macron called for a tougher international stance if Israel does not increase aid flow soon. Israel rejected accusations of a humanitarian blockade, countering Macron's remarks on social media. (With inputs from from BBC)
Saudi Gazette
4 days ago
- Health
- Saudi Gazette
Last hospital in North Gaza governorate evacuated after Israeli order
GAZA — The last hospital providing health services in the North Gaza governorate is out of service after the Israeli military ordered its immediate evacuation, the hospital's director has said. Dr Mohammed Salha said patients were evacuated from al-Awda hospital in Jabalia on Thursday evening. He told the BBC "we are feeling really bad about this forced evacuation" after "two weeks of siege", saying there is now "no health facility working in the north". Israel has not yet commented, but the BBC has contacted the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). "We're really sad that we evacuated the hospital, but the Israeli occupation forces threatened us that if we didn't evacuate, they would enter and kill whoever is inside," Dr Salha said in a voice note to the BBC. "Or they would bomb the hospital. We were thinking of the lives of patients and our staff."Dr Salha told the BBC the hospital faced "a lot of bombing and shooting from the tanks" from around noon local time (09:00 GMT) on received a call from the Israeli forces at about 13:00 to evacuate, and initially refused because there were patients in need of healthcare. He offered to stay with another 10 of his staff and evacuate the others, but the military refused, he seven hours of negotiations, the evacuation occurred at about 20: carried patients more than 300 metres (984 feet) to ambulances parked far away from the hospital "because the roads are totally destroyed".A video sent by Dr Salha of the evacuation, and verified by the BBC, shows a line of ambulances with lights and sirens on driving at night."Due to impassable roads" the hospital's medical equipment could not be relocated, the World Health Organization (WHO) humanitarian agency OCHA said on Thursday "ongoing hostilities over the past two weeks have damaged the hospital, disrupted access, and created panic, deterring people from seeking care".Patients were evacuated to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza Salha told the BBC they would provide services through a primary health center in Gaza City and said another might be established in a Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said the closure of al-Awda meant there was no remaining functioning hospital in the North Gaza governorate, "severing a critical lifeline for the people there"."WHO pleads for the hospital's protection and staff and patients' safety, and reiterates its call for the active protection of civilians and healthcare," he said. "Hospitals must never be attacked or militarized."The IDF had ordered evacuations of the areas of Al-Atatra, Jabalia Al-Balad, Shujaiya, Al-Daraj and Al-Zeitoun on Thursday evening, spokesperson Avichay Adraee said at the time on social media."Terrorist organisations continue their subversive activity in the region, and therefore the IDF will expand its offensive activity in the areas where you are present to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations," he said."From this moment on, the mentioned areas will be considered dangerous combat."Al-Awda hospital was inside an evacuation zone announced last week, but had still been functioning, its director previously said.A statement from 18 charities on Thursday said the hospital was under military besiegement "for the fourth time since October 2023 and has been struck at least 28 times".The emergency room was hit, injuring four staff, and the desalination plant and storage unit also struck, leading to the loss of all medicine, supplies and equipment, the charities IDF told the BBC last week it was "operating in the area against terror targets", but that it was "not aware of any siege on the hospital itself".Apart from hospitals, some primary healthcare centres are still operating in Gaza, with 61 out of 158 partially or fully functional as of 18 May, OCHA out of 27 UN Palestinian refugee agency health centres were also did not report how many, if any, centers were in the north Gaza is continuing its bombardment of Gaza, which most Palestinians are not currently able to leave, after a brief ceasefire earlier this began to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza last week, after a nearly three-month blockade that halted the delivery of supplies including food, medicine, fuel and broke down and looting took place as Palestinians searched for food in Gaza City on of chaos have also broken out at aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - a US-and Israeli-backed UN and many aid groups have refused to co-operate with the GHF's plans, which they say contradict humanitarian principles and appear to "weaponize aid".Israel said it imposed the blockade on Gaza to pressurize Hamas to release the remaining hostages, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. It has also accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.A UN-backed assessment this month said Gaza's 2.1 million people were at a "critical risk" of famine. The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC people in the territory were being subjected to "forced starvation" by launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,249 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 3,986 since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. — BBC
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Last hospital in North Gaza governorate evacuated after Israeli order
The last hospital providing health services in the North Gaza governorate is out of service after the Israeli military ordered its immediate evacuation, the hospital's director has said. Dr Mohammed Salha said patients were evacuated from al-Awda hospital in Jabalia on Thursday evening. He told the BBC "we are feeling really bad about this forced evacuation" after "two weeks of siege", saying there is now "no health facility working in the north". Israel has not yet commented, but the BBC has contacted the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). "We're really sad that we evacuated the hospital, but the Israeli occupation forces threatened us that if we didn't evacuate, they would enter and kill whoever is inside," Dr Salha said in a voice note to the BBC. "Or they would bomb the hospital. We were thinking of the lives of patients and our staff." Dr Salha told the BBC the hospital faced "a lot of bombing and shooting from the tanks" from around noon local time (09:00 GMT) on Thursday. He received a call from the Israeli forces at about 13:00 to evacuate, and initially refused because there were patients in need of healthcare. He offered to stay with another 10 of his staff and evacuate the others, but the military refused, he said. After seven hours of negotiations, the evacuation occurred at about 20:30. Staff carried patients more than 300 metres (984 feet) to ambulances parked far away from the hospital "because the roads are totally destroyed". A video sent by Dr Salha of the evacuation, and verified by the BBC, shows a line of ambulances with lights and sirens on driving at night. "Due to impassable roads" the hospital's medical equipment could not be relocated, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. UN humanitarian agency OCHA said on Thursday "ongoing hostilities over the past two weeks have damaged the hospital, disrupted access, and created panic, deterring people from seeking care". Patients were evacuated to al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Dr Salha told the BBC they would provide services through a primary health centre in Gaza City and said another might be established in a shelter. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said the closure of al-Awda meant there was no remaining functioning hospital in the North Gaza governorate, "severing a critical lifeline for the people there". "WHO pleads for the hospital's protection and staff and patients' safety, and reiterates its call for the active protection of civilians and healthcare," he said. "Hospitals must never be attacked or militarized." The IDF had ordered evacuations of the areas of Al-Atatra, Jabalia Al-Balad, Shujaiya, Al-Daraj and Al-Zeitoun on Thursday evening, spokesperson Avichay Adraee said at the time on social media. "Terrorist organisations continue their subversive activity in the region, and therefore the IDF will expand its offensive activity in the areas where you are present to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organisations," he said. "From this moment on, the mentioned areas will be considered dangerous combat." Al-Awda hospital was inside an evacuation zone announced last week, but had still been functioning, its director previously said. A statement from 18 charities on Thursday said the hospital was under military besiegement "for the fourth time since October 2023 and has been struck at least 28 times". The emergency room was hit, injuring four staff, and the desalination plant and storage unit also struck, leading to the loss of all medicine, supplies and equipment, the charities said. The IDF told the BBC last week it was "operating in the area against terror targets", but that it was "not aware of any siege on the hospital itself". Apart from hospitals, some primary healthcare centres are still operating in Gaza, with 61 out of 158 partially or fully functional as of 18 May, OCHA said. Nine out of 27 UN Palestinian refugee agency health centres were also functioning. OCHA did not report how many, if any, centres were in the north Gaza governorate. Gaza subjected to forced starvation, top UN official tells BBC Security breaks down in Gaza as desperate people search for food Gaza health system 'stretched beyond breaking point' by Israeli offensive and evacuations, WHO warns Israel is continuing its bombardment of Gaza, which most Palestinians are not currently able to leave, after a brief ceasefire earlier this year. Israel began to allow a limited amount of aid into Gaza last week, after a nearly three-month blockade that halted the delivery of supplies including food, medicine, fuel and shelter. Security broke down and looting took place as Palestinians searched for food in Gaza City on Thursday. Scenes of chaos have also broken out at aid distribution centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - a US-and Israeli-backed group. The UN and many aid groups have refused to co-operate with the GHF's plans, which they say contradict humanitarian principles and appear to "weaponise aid". Israel said it imposed the blockade on Gaza to pressurise Hamas to release the remaining hostages, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. It has also accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. A UN-backed assessment this month said Gaza's 2.1 million people were at a "critical risk" of famine. The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told the BBC people in the territory were being subjected to "forced starvation" by Israel. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,249 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 3,986 since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Additional reporting by Naomi Scherbel-Ball and Alice Cuddy in Jerusalem
Saba Yemen
24-05-2025
- Health
- Saba Yemen
Salha: Zionist enemy been targeting Al-Awda Hospital for days, imposing siege on it.
Gaza - Saba: The director of Al-Awda Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, Mohammed Salha, said that the Zionist enemy has been targeting the hospital for days. Salha explained in a statement to Al Jazeera on Saturday that the enemy forces shelled the hospital's surroundings today, and shrapnel was scattered throughout the area. He added that the enemy forces are imposing a tight siege on the hospital and its surroundings, and are bombing ambulances transporting patients and the wounded to the hospital. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
The Journal
17-05-2025
- Health
- The Journal
Doctors in Gaza hospital pumped oxygen by hand for three days for a sick patient before he died
DOCTORS IN GAZA resorted to manually pumping oxygen into the lungs of a fatally-wounded patient for three days after the Al-Awda Hospital ran out of oxygen cylinders and ventilators. The man, who was brought to the hospital in Jabalia in north Gaza with critical injuries, died when no additional medical resources arrived due to an ongoing blockade placed on the region by the Israeli government. Al-Awda Hospital is the last remaining partially-operating hospital in north Gaza. Speaking from Gaza, Dr Mohammed Salha, the acting-director of the hospital, said that staff have been arrested and killed by the Israeli government while attempting to carry out lifesaving work at the hospital. On 2 March, Israel formally began a full-scale blockade on Gaza's access to food, water, fuel, medicine and other key humanitarian aid supplies. Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues. The country has scaled up a 'full force' offensive on Gaza in recent days . Speaking to journalists this week, Salha said: 'After ten weeks of total siege, people are dying. Not because we don't know how to save them, but because we simply don't have the basic and minimum needs to save them and provide them the services [they need].' Blockades on fuel and oxygen supplies are forcing staff at the hospital to use manual air tubes for people needing ventilators. Doctors and nurses manually pumped oxygen for three days in an attempt to save one man. 'We used manual oxygen [pumps] for three days – 72 hours without stopping. Can you imagine what we went for 72 hours to save his life? After that, he died. 'Why? We simply couldn't save with without proper medicine and oxygen cylinders.' The doctor added: 'Half of our beds capacity is now out of service to patients. Floors are totally destroyed. Our ambulances, medicine, medical supplies storage are also destroyed. Our [oxygen] distillation plant was also targeted and destroyed.' Advertisement Photo, dated 28 April, shows one floor of the Al Awda Hospital after an Israeli attack in Gaza. Alamy, file Alamy, file He said he will never be able to forget the things he has seen over the last 19 months of conflict, particularly the deaths of young children with injuries and deformities, he claims, are consistent with wound caused by 'internationally banned weapons'. Salha referenced a reported case where one baby was bt orn at his hospital without a brain . 'To say that Al-Awda Hospital in the north of Gazan Strip has been working in the most-difficult and dangerous conditions does not really convey the horror of the situation on the ground,' Salha said. Staff members killed and arrested Following militant group Hamas' terror attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which led to the country's military launching its largest offensive in Gaza in recent years, several medical staff members at the hospital have been arrested, he said. Salha said many of these arrests have taken place without due process or judicial examination, including the hospital's director Dr Ahmed Muhanna, who was detained by Israel in December 2023 . 'Six staff members were killed inside the hospital, who were working inside the hospital to save lives, because of shelling and sniper attacks. Many others have been killed in their homes with the children too,' Salha added. One midwife, he detailed, was killed alongside her son and her husband after an Israeli bomb was dropped on their home. There has been a total of 18 attacks on the hospital by the Israeli military. On Tuesday evening, the night before an emergency press briefing this week, the population around the facility was given its second forced displacement order by the Israeli military this month, the doctor said. The following morning, it was reported that Israel's military killed more than 80 people in bombardments in Gaza overnight , including an airstrike which his the European Hospital in Khan Younis. Al-Awda hospital has been placed under siege three times over the last few months, including in the days running up to the interview between Salha and international reporters. 'Even after 19 months of this hell, I can tell you that no one gets used to the sight of innocent babies killed or [injured] for life. Our hearts break in thousands of pieces every time,' Salha said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
