THE World Health Organization (WHO) today said it had nearly emptied its aid warehouses in southern Gaza after being “advised” by Israel’s army that “active combat” was looming.

Israel has denied it ordered the WHO to empty its two warehouses in Khan Yunis, as claimed by the head of the United Nations health agency.

Asked about the discrepancy in accounts, Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, acknowledged no official order had been given, but said his staff had been “advised” to swiftly remove their stocks from the warehouses.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva via video-link from southern Gaza, Peeperkorn said the advice had been given orally to his team, and that “there’s no paperwork on this”.

After initially focusing its assault on the north of the war-torn territory, the Israeli army has now sent ground forces into the south and dropped leaflets telling Palestinian civilians in more districts to evacuate.

Israel declared war on Hamas after the group’s October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and that saw around 240 hostages taken, according to Israeli authorities.

In retaliation for the worst attack in its history, Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas and secure the release of all the hostages held in the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said the war has killed nearly 15,900 people in the territory, around 70% of them women and children.

Peeperkorn explained the WHO on Sunday had informed the Israeli army it intended to move supplies out of the warehouses to assist a Doctors Without Borders team and to provide assistance to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

“Then yesterday morning, we were informed that we better remove as much as possible… (Our) warehouses are in an area where the population was told to evacuate, and which would most likely become an area of active combat in the coming days,” he said.

“When you are advised by an army that… ‘you have 24 hours and after that… it’s very unlikely you can reach your warehouse’, of course you comply,” Peeperkorn said.

“We took out almost 90% of the supplies,” he said. “It was a panic movement.”

The supplies have been moved to a single warehouse in Rafah. – AFP, December 5, 2023.