Israel lowers death toll in Oct 7 Hamas assault; WHO ‘disturbed’ by Gaza hospital attack reports

Israel has officially revised down the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack to 1,200, as announced by a spokesperson from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israel previously said that at least 1,400 people were killed in the surprise assault by Hamas militants who control the Gaza Strip. However, Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Hayat in a statement critical of Unesco said that Hamas murdered "about 1,200 people". Haiat separately confirmed the new toll which he said "might change" when all the bodies have been identified, reported AFP.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians who sought refuge in Gaza City's largest hospital fled South for safety after several reported strikes in and around the compound overnight. The hospitals, traditionally considered safe zones, have become strained under the weight of Israeli assertion that Hamas' military infrastructure is based amid Gaza City’s hospitals and neighbourhoods. Israel also claims that Hamas has set up its main command centre in and under the largest hospital, Shifa.

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A spokesperson at the Haman-run health ministry in Gaza said that at least three strikes over several hours hit the courtyard and the obstetrics department of Shifa Hospital on Friday. The Israeli army said one strike at Shifa was the result of a misfire by militants targeting its troops nearby.

The World Health Organization said that 20 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are no longer functioning, including a pediatric hospital that stopped operations after a reported Israeli strike in the area.

The WHO chief voiced extreme distress over the alarming reports of airstrikes targeting the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.

“We are extremely disturbed by reports of airstrikes in the vicinity of Al-Shifa hospital in #Gaza,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“Many health workers we were in contact with have been forced to leave the hospital in search of safety. Others report being unable to move due to grave insecurity. Many of the thousands sheltering at the hospital are forced to evacuate due to security risks, while many still remain there.”

“WHO is very concerned about the safety of patients, health workers and those sheltering in hospitals. They need immediate protection,” he added, calling on both sides to respect international humanitarian law.

Residents who had sought refuge in hospitals are now facing a harsh choice: stay in the already overcrowded and at-risk medical facilities or venture out into the perilous streets of Gaza City. The situation is compounded by the difficulty of accessing essential supplies, with humanitarian corridors facing logistical challenges.

(With inputs from agencies)

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