WHO appeals for end to attacks on Gaza's hospitals

The head of the World Health Organization has called for an end to attacks on hospitals in Gaza.

"Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat," Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

His warning came after the last functioning hospital in besieged northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan, was raided and forcibly evacuated by the Israeli military on Friday and two hospitals in Gaza City were attacked on Sunday. The military said two of the sites were being used as Hamas command centres.

Dr Tedros also joined rights groups and relatives calling for the immediate release of Kamal Adwan's director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, who was detained by Israeli forces.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that his hospital was a Hamas "stronghold" and that troops had killed about 20 "terrorists" and detained 240 others during the raid. It added that Dr Abu Safiya was among those taken for questioning and that he was "suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative".

The military did not provide evidence for the allegations, which Hamas dismissed as "lies".

US-based MedGlobal condemned the detention of Dr Abu Safiya, who was its lead physician in Gaza, as "not only unjust" but also "a violation of international humanitarian law, which upholds the protection of medical personnel in conflict zones".

Dr Abu Safiya's family expressed concern about his health, saying he was still recovering from severe injuries sustained in an attack last month and that he was likely to be suffering from the cold because he had been forced to strip off his clothes.

Hamas also dismissed the Israeli allegations as "lies".