World Health Organization (WHO) officials have not found any evidence that hospitals in the Gaza Strip are being used for military purposes by the Palestinian movement Hamas, according to the WHO representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Richard Peeperkorn.
"The organization's delegation found no evidence of hospitals being used by Hamas for military purposes," stated Peeperkorn, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Peeperkorn highlighted the "high level of hunger" among the population in the Gaza Strip, along with food insecurity. He mentioned that the number of displaced people in the enclave has reached 1.9 million.
"We anticipate that diseases could spread in the Gaza Strip if clean water and medical care are not provided to the population," Peeperkorn warned. He further expressed concern that the situation in the Palestinian enclave could become "a time bomb" if the needs of the population are not adequately addressed.
On December 1, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating the truce that had been in effect since November 24 and declared a return to combat operations in Gaza. Palestinian authorities held the US responsible for the renewed Israeli aggression. The Israeli side has repeatedly claimed that Hamas is using hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military purposes. In November, the Israeli army reported the discovery of a Hamas tunnel in Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
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Photo: Al Jazeera English/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS