Geneva, September 26 (QNA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the escalating Israeli offensive on Gaza City is overwhelming medical staff there, with four more hospitals forced to close this month alone in the northern Gaza Strip.

WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said during a press conference in Geneva Friday that the total number of functioning hospitals in the entire Gaza Strip now stands at only 14, none of which are operating at full capacity.

In Gaza City, 16 medical points and 11 primary healthcare centers have been forced to suspend or close services. The situation in the remaining eight hospitals and one field hospital in the city is considered critical, as medical teams are under “extreme pressure” due to the influx of casualties from Israeli airstrikes, in addition to treating other patients.

The WHO confirmed that Gaza City constitutes the “backbone” of the health system in the Strip, hosting nearly half of the hospitals and field hospitals, while hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip are overstretched and unable to accommodate any more patients.

This development comes as the Israeli army continues its assault on the city, issuing repeated evacuation orders to communities there, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents and damaging health facilities.

Jasarevic said the evacuation orders have affected hundreds of health facilities, and even if hospitals are not ordered to evacuate, access is difficult, and there is violence in the surrounding areas, which could lead to their shutdown.

He confirmed that 11 of the 12 attacks on health care facilities between September 7 and 17 occurred in Gaza City, while the other attack occurred in Khan Yunis.

He added more violence only means more wounded. This means more victims and deaths, and it also means more difficulty in access.

The WHO spokesperson reiterated his call for the urgent evacuation of thousands of critically ill and wounded patients who require specialized care.

More than 15,000 people need medical evacuation, and evacuations are moving very slowly. Once again, we can only appeal for a ceasefire and unhindered access so we can support what remains of Gaza’s health system with medical supplies, emergency medical teams, and everything else, he said. (QNA)