On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had allowed a number of people to evacuate from the Shifa hospital via a safe route, adding that medical personnel would remain at the facility to assist patients who are unable to evacuate.
"Over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged to urgently transport patients from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex and European Gaza Hospital in the south of Gaza," the WHO said on X.
However, these hospitals are already overburdened and operating at full capacity, and new patients from Shifa Hospital will place even greater strain on medical staff and resources, the organization added.
"There are 25 health workers and 291 patients remaining in Al-Shifa, with several patient deaths having occurred over the previous 2 to 3 days due to the shutting down of medical services," the WHO said, adding that among the patients there are "32 babies in extremely critical condition, two people in intensive care without ventilation, and 22 dialysis patients whose access to life-saving treatment has been severely compromised."
Earlier in the day, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the organization's specialists conducted an assessment mission at the Shifa hospital.
"The team saw a hospital no longer able to function: no water, no food, no electricity, no fuel, medical supplies depleted," Ghebreyesus said on X.