Health workers, patients, and civilians in Gaza spent night "in darkness and fear," says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that health workers, patients, and civilians in Gaza spent the night “in darkness and fear,” due to a communications and electrical blackout across the Gaza strip.

“During a night of intense bombardment and ground incursions in Gaza, with reports of hostilities still continuing, health workers, patients and civilians have been subject to a total communication and electrical blackout,” WHO wrote in post on X.

According to WHO, hospitals across Gaza are operating at maximum capacity, unable to take in new patients whilst also “sheltering thousands of civilians.”

“There are more [people] wounded every hour,” WHO said. “But ambulances cannot reach them in the communications blackout. Morgues are full. More than half of the dead are women and children.”

WHO reiterated its call for “immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” writing that safe passage must also be ensured for “desperately needed medical supplies, fuel, water and food into and across Gaza.”

“WHO appeals to the humanity in all those who have the power to do so to end the fighting now, in line with the UN resolution adopted yesterday, calling for a humanitarian truce, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held captive.”

Some context: Many are struggling to get in touch with people in Gaza after communications links were badly disrupted by an aerial assault overnight.

The last standing major internet operator in the region, Paltel, experienced damage to its international routes, according to NetBlocks, an internet outage monitoring firm based in London.