She said she was "gravely concerned." The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged Hamas to provide proof of life for the hostages it is holding and release them all "for health reasons," on the 19th day of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement.
"There is an urgent need for those who captured hostages to prove that they are alive and receiving medical care, and to release all those who have been captured, on humanitarian and health grounds," World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
My team and I met today with families of people abducted from southern #Israel on 7 October by Hamas and heard firsthand the tragedy, trauma and suffering they are facing.
We are gravely concerned by the humanitarian and health situation facing approximately 200 people,...
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 25, 2023
"Many hostages, including children, women and the elderly, suffer from pre-existing health conditions requiring urgent and sustained care and treatment," he said, adding that "the mental trauma faced by abductees and their families is acute and psychosocial support is of great importance."
The WHO chief also said the organization stood "ready" to support the Red Cross, "which has a mandate to provide support to hostages in conflict situations."
Dramatic humanitarian situation
The dramatic humanitarian situation in the small territory of 362 km2 is also of concern to the international community. According to the WHO, six hospitals have already closed due to lack of fuel in the Gaza Strip, where 2.4 million Palestinians are crammed together in dire conditions.
Video. Hostages freed by Hamas: 85-year-old Yocheved Lifschitz recounts his ordeal
The UN is urgently calling for the delivery of fuel to run generators in hospitals where thousands of wounded are pouring in, pump and purify water and keep trucks moving. But Israel refuses to do so, saying it would benefit Hamas, which it considers a "terrorist" organization, along with the United States and the European Union.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would send a military ship to "support hospitals". The latter, a hospital ship, set sail for Gaza on Wednesday. Regarding the hostages, the head of state stressed that "several pieces of information allow us to have hope" for new hostage releases "in the coming hours". However, he said he was "very careful" not to "give false hope to the families".