Desperate calls and urgent appeals go unanswered as civilians are caught in collapsed buildings or trapped by ongoing ground battles – OHCHR Press Release

Occupied Palestinian Territory

14 November 2023

Israel’s ground incursion into northern Gaza has now continued for approximately two weeks and, despite the reported movement of many thousands of people from northern Gaza to the south, hundreds of thousands of civilians remain trapped in Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza at risk of their lives from hunger, thirst, disease, and violence.

Desperate calls and urgent appeals are being made by civilians who are unable to move from the buildings where they are sheltering because of the presence of Israeli troops, ongoing ground battles or who have been caught in collapsed buildings. We hear of neighbors sending messages asking for help to get out of their basements; and then that their contacts have been lost. Some of the people report that they are trapped with their family members who have either been killed or seriously injured. We hear from people with disabilities trapped in a rehabilitation centre, not receiving any support for evacuation or any humanitarian aid. We hear that all calls are going unanswered as medical and rescue workers have no more capacity to help.

Ambulances, if any were running, would have nowhere to take the injured as hospitals are shutting down – under attack and with no fuel. Al Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, is now out of service; reportedly, its three ambulances sit on the premises dormant. An attempt by the Palestinian Red Crescent and the ICRC to evacuate Al Quds Hospital failed yesterday due to the intensity of the hostilities near the hospital. Civil Defense workers are no longer able to work – unable to identify victims or recover them. Urgent humanitarian access must be granted in the north and sufficient time and conditions for very difficult evacuations to take place. Any evacuations of hospitals must consider the ability of patients, medical staff, and other civilians to evacuate safely and to places patients can be properly cared for. This becomes more difficult by the hour as the condition of patients deteriorates and we hear reports even of hospitals in southern Gaza reducing operations due to lack of fuel.