The World Health Organization’s residential compound in Deir al Balah, Gaza, suffered three separate attacks today, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported on social media platform X. He stated the facility’s main warehouse was also targeted.
Tedros detailed that Israeli military forces entered the compound, compelling women and children to evacuate on foot to Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff members and their relatives were allegedly handcuffed, strip-searched, subjected to on-site interrogation, and checked at gunpoint.
Two WHO personnel and two family members were arrested during the incident. While three were later released, one staff member remains detained. Thirty-two WHO staff and dependents were evacuated to the agency’s office once access was possible.
“The WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staffer and protection for all its personnel,” Tedros emphasized in his statement.