WHO Director-General makes emotional appeal for an end to the genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Tedros Adhanom described the conditions in Gaza as hellish.
247 - The World Health Organization's director-general called for a ceasefire and a "real solution" to Israel's war against the Palestinians in an emotional appeal on Thursday (25), and described conditions in Gaza as "hellish," Reuters reports.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, who experienced war as a child and whose own children hid in a shelter during bombings in the Ethiopian-Eritrean border war from 1998 to 2000, became emotional when describing the conditions in the bombed-out Gaza enclave, where more than 25.000 people were killed by Israel.
"I am a firm believer, based on my own experience, that war brings no solution except more war, more hatred, more agony, more destruction. So let us choose peace and resolve this issue politically," Tedros told the WHO Executive Board in Geneva during a discussion on the health emergency in Gaza.
"I believe you all mentioned the two-state solution and so on, and I hope this war ends and moves toward a real solution," he said, before becoming emotional, describing the current situation as "beyond words."
Israel's ambassador said Tedros' comments represent a "complete failure of leadership." "The Director-General's statement was the embodiment of everything that has been wrong with the WHO since October 7th. No mention of the hostages, the rapes, the murder of Israelis, nor the militarization of hospitals and the despicable use of human shields by Hamas," Meirav Eilon Shahar said in comments sent to Reuters.
She also accused the global health agency of "collusion" with Hamas, claiming that the WHO turned a blind eye to Hamas's military activities in Gaza hospitals.
In the same statement, Tedros warned that more people in Gaza would die from hunger and disease.
"If you add all of that up, I believe it's not easy to understand how hellish the situation is," he said.