Israeli entity's military operations in Rafah could lead to 'bloodbath', WHO warns

Geneva: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of what he described as a "bloodbath" if the Israeli entity carried out a full-scale military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

"WHO is deeply concerned that a full-scale military operation in Rafah could lead to a bloodbath," Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. "Rafah incursion would substantially increase mortality and morbidity and further weaken an already broken health system," he added.

WHO Director-General's statements come in response to ongoing Israeli threats to carry out a military attack on Rafah, despite increasing international warnings of catastrophic repercussions, given the presence of approximately 1.4 million displaced people there.

The WHO said that it had a contingency plan prepared in case of an Israeli incursion into Gaza's Rafah but said it would not be sufficient to prevent a substantial rise in the death toll.

"I want to really say that this contingency plan is a band-aid," WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory Rik Peeperkorn said, adding "It will absolutely not prevent the expected substantial additional mortality and morbidity posed by a military operation."

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had also warned of the consequences of any Israeli military ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, emphasizing that such a step would mean further suffering for civilians and displaced persons.