WHO denies Israel accusation of ‘collusion’ with Hamas

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has denied Israel’s claim that it is in collusion with Palestinian resistance group Hamas, warning that such accusations could endanger its staff and efforts on the ground.

At a meeting of the United Nations health agency’s board on Friday, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Meirav Eilon Shahar, told the WHO’s executive board that there cannot be healthcare in the Gaza Strip when Hamas “embeds itself in hospitals and uses human shields”.

She claimed that those are “undeniable facts that WHO chooses to ignore time and time again”, accusing the international organisation of wilfully colluding with Hamas. “This is not incompetence; it is collusion.”

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In a post on X, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that his organisation “refutes Israel’s accusation at the executive board meeting yesterday that WHO is in ‘collusion’ with Hamas and is ‘turning a blind eye’ to the suffering of hostages being held in Gaza”.

He warned that “Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our staff who are risking their lives to serve the vulnerable”, referring to those working for the UN health body in Gaza as well as elsewhere throughout the world.

“As a United Nations agency, WHO is impartial and is working for the health and well-being of all people”, Tedros insisted.