WHO official says just 11 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are operational

A World Health Organization official said Tuesday that only 11 of the Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals are partially functional.

"In just 66 days the health system has gone from 36 functional hospitals to 11 partially functional hospitals – one in the north and 10 in the south," Richard Pepperkorn, WHO representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, was quoted by Reuters as saying. During a UN press conference by videolink from Gaza.

He reportedly said, "We cannot afford to lose any health care facility or hospital." “We hope, we pray, that this will not happen.”

The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry is now claiming that around 18,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict in Gaza.