- Dr Tedros called reports of Tehran's Gandhi Hospital damage extremely worrying and is verifying them
- He emphasized health facilities must be protected under international humanitarian law during conflicts
- Videos showed hospital damage, chaos, and evacuation of patients and infants amid alarms and smoke
"Health is not a target," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, on reports that Tehran's Gandhi Hospital was damaged during bombardment of the Iranian capital.
"Reports of Tehran's Gandhi Hospital being damaged during today's bombardment of the Iranian capital are extremely worrying," Dr Tedros wrote in a post on social media platform X, adding that the WHO is working to verify the incident. He stressed that the reports serve as "a reminder that all efforts must be taken to prevent health facilities from being caught up in the ongoing conflict."
"Health facilities are protected under international humanitarian law," he wrote.
According to Reuters, Israeli air strikes targeted Gandhi Hospital in northern Tehran on Sunday. The reported strike took place on the second day of a joint US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, launched after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in earlier strikes.
Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency (ISNA) claimed the hospital was struck in what it described as "Zionist-American air strikes." Separate reports from the Fars News Agency and Mizan News Agency included videos from inside the hospital, showing debris scattered across the floor near wheelchairs.
Two witnesses in the Gandhi Street area told Reuters that the facility suffered substantial damage and that patients were being evacuated from the building.
Videos circulating on social media showed chaos outside the hospital after it was hit during the latest wave of US-Israeli air strikes on Tehran.
Earlier footage from the day showed visible structural damage to the hospital building on Gandhi Street, including shattered windows and debris strewn across the entrance.
Clips shared by Tasnim News Agency showed nurses carrying infants in their arms as they rushed to evacuate wards amid blaring alarms.
Also Read: How Iran's Conflict With US And Israel Impacts Healthcare Systems And Public Health
Other videos captured people running in different directions, some shouting for missing relatives, as smoke billowed in the background. The full extent of casualties, if any, was not immediately clear.
Explosions were reported across northern Tehran late Sunday as the strikes continued into the night. Israel has said it is directing attacks toward central areas of the Iranian capital, declaring it is taking its campaign to the "heart" of Tehran following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader in a joint US-Israeli operation a day earlier.
In response, Iran launched missiles and drones toward Israel and targeted US military bases across the Gulf region, as well as the Saudi capital and Dubai.
The broader conflict has now entered its third day, with regional tensions escalating sharply. Diplomatic and military responses from multiple countries have followed, amid mounting fears over civilian safety in densely populated urban areas.
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