UN Calls for Protection of Civilians & Healthcare Facilities in Northern Gaza

The Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, has emphasized the urgent need to protect civilians, the wounded, patients, healthcare workers, and medical facilities under international humanitarian law. 

Her remarks follow what she described as "horrifying news from northern Gaza, where Palestinians continue to endure unspeakable suffering under the siege imposed by Israeli forces."

According to the UN Information Centre, Msuya warned, “People are trapped under the rubble, with first responders blocked from reaching them. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are being forcibly displaced, and essential supplies are running out. Hospitals are being bombed, overwhelmed with a surge of injured patients.”

Msuya stressed the importance of halting these atrocities and respecting international humanitarian law. She also urged Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s interim measures.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, echoed these concerns, calling for immediate access for humanitarian and rescue teams to save lives. “International humanitarian law is an obligation that must always be respected,” he stated.

Hadi warned of the life-threatening conditions caused by the tightened blockade on Jabalia and northern Gaza. 

He noted that Al-Awda and the Indonesian hospitals—two of the only three hospitals still operating in northern Gaza—have been directly targeted during the escalation of hostilities. These attacks, he said, exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

“In recent weeks, Israeli forces have intensified pressure on hospitals to evacuate, but the patients have nowhere to go. Both patients and medical staff have been affected, along with displaced civilians,” Hadi added.

He further emphasized the need for more functioning medical facilities, not fewer. Al-Kamal Adwan Hospital, for instance, currently treats two-thirds of northern Gaza’s hospital patients, with 370 patients—most of whom suffer from trauma injuries. 

The hospital is struggling with severe shortages of beds, medicine, medical supplies, and fuel.

Hadi also highlighted the Israeli forces’ lack of response to an urgent UN request to access northern Gaza and rescue dozens of wounded individuals trapped under the rubble.

 “Every minute counts, and these delays cost lives. Hospitals, patients, medical staff, and civilians must always be protected. They are never legitimate targets,” he warned.