The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the “best way” to ensure the safety of patients as well as civilians taking shelter at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital is not evacuation but “stopping hostilities now,” Al Jazeera reports.

Spokesperson Margaret Harris said hostilities should be stopped for the sake of “saving lives, not taking lives”.

On the Israeli army’s order to evacuate the hospital, Gaza’s largest, Harris told a UN news conference in Geneva it would not be possible to evacuate 700 at-risk patients.

All hospitals are now out of fuel and have ceased operations in northern Gaza as Israel continues its bombardment and siege with ground forces moving in.

Editorial

Updated 09 Aug, 2026

Makkah agreement

IN the midst of a gruelling war between the US and Iran — currently at a stalemate — the signing of the Makkah...
09 Aug, 2026

Conflicting priorities

THERE is a reasonable argument that the democratic process must go on regardless of prevailing conditions; that...
09 Aug, 2026

FIFA controversy

FIFA PRESIDENT Gianni Infantino is at the centre of a storm of his own making. Even after a crisis meeting in...
Updated 08 Aug, 2026

Danger ahead

PAKISTAN has already paid a heavy human price this monsoon, even as another dangerous spell approaches. NDMA figures...
08 Aug, 2026

Israeli impunity

ANY hope that Hamas’s decision to disarm would lead to a breakthrough has been dashed for one simple reason:...
Updated 08 Aug, 2026

Flawed investigations

An inaccurate record of a victim’s wounds hinders the dispensation of justice. Medical examiners in such a critical area cannot cut corners.