Israeli Forces Attack WHO Staff Residence, Warehouse Gaza

The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned multiple Israeli military attacks on its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, severely hindering its operational capabilities and pushing the local health system toward collapse. Israeli forces entered the WHO staff residence, forcibly evacuating women and children, and handcuffing, stripping, and interrogating male staff at gunpoint, resulting in the detention of two staff members and two family members, with one staff member still held. The main WHO warehouse, located within the Israeli evacuation zone, sustained damage from explosions and fire, destroying critical medical supplies and later being looted amid the conflict. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for the immediate release of detained staff and emphasized the urgent need for a sustained flow of medical supplies into Gaza. The attacks form part of a broader pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities, exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation amid ongoing hostilities and forced civilian evacuations. WHO and international leaders have called for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life and to restore essential humanitarian operations in Gaza.