The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees has announced that only four out of 22 of its health centres in Gaza are operational due to Israeli bombardment and access restrictions.
Last week, UNRWA warned that only six of its health centres were still operating.
Before the start of the war in Gaza, UNRWA provided free-of-charge primary healthcare to Gaza’s nearly 2 million residents.
UNRWA’s announcement comes as the agency is mired in controversy following Israeli allegations that 12 of its staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attacks on southern Israel.
Nearly a dozen countries have paused funding due to the allegations, prompting UN Secretary-General António Guterres to appeal to governments to reconsider their decisions so as not to jeopardise the agency’s humanitarian operations.
At least 26,422 people have been killed and 65,087 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
