There are “currently almost two patients for every bed available” in Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in the Palestinian enclave, the World Health Organisation has said.

In a joint statement, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN relief agency chief Philippe Lazzarini said: “There are currently almost two patients for every bed available.”

They highlighted, “The number of wounded increases by the hour while patients are undergoing immense and unnecessary pain as medicines and anaesthetics are running out.”

Renewing their “urgent call for the delivery of fuel to humanitarian agencies in the Gaza Strip”, the officials emphasised that the northern areas of Gaza “cannot and should not be isolated nor deprived of the delivery of humanitarian assistance”.

 Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter at Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital on Nov 8, 2023. — Reuters
Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter at Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital on Nov 8, 2023. — Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...