World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has confirmed that health services at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza have come to a standstill.
On December 27, the hospital was raided by the Israeli military, evicting patients and health workers and detaining its director.
Some patients have been sent to hospitals in Indonesia, which already lack water, electricity and sanitation. Other patients and health workers are facing dire conditions. Humanitarian aid delivery to violence-affected areas continues to be hampered.
UN spokeswoman Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez said on Monday that more than 150 attempts to send aid to northern Gaza since October had been rejected by Israeli authorities.
Aid missions that were approved earlier have also faced long delays. Between 27 and 29 December, three of the four relief missions were interrupted.
A mission was successfully completed on Sunday, under which first aid supplies, food and water were delivered to people evacuated from Kamal Advan Hospital.
However, the situation is said to be very serious. The UN spokesperson stressed that humanitarian workers must provide safe, unhindered access to aid.
Incidents of looting, shortage of relief materials
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the looting of relief supplies by armed groups. In the past three days, there have been two incidents of looting in southern Gaza, and truckloads of goods have been looted.
Such incidents not only affect the availability of essential aid supplies but also highlight inherent risks for humanitarian aid workers.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military imposed restrictions on commercial and humanitarian aid imports, leaving families without food, shelter and warm clothing during the winter.