IDF Confirms Raid on WHO Facility in Gaza, Detains Staff Amid Terror Allegations
Tensions escalated further in the Gaza Strip this week as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that its troops entered a World Health Organization (WHO) facility in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, detaining several individuals suspected of links to terrorist activity. The military operation, part of a broader ground offensive in the area, has drawn sharp international criticism and deepened concerns about the safety of humanitarian workers operating in the conflict zone.
According to the IDF, the raid on the WHO compound followed intelligence suggesting that some individuals taking shelter there were connected to militant activities. Israeli officials said their forces came under fire in the area and responded in line with operational procedures. The IDF maintained that detainees were treated according to international law and that all but one were later released after investigations.
However, the World Health Organization issued a strong statement condemning the incident, offering a contrasting version of events. The organization reported that its main warehouse and staff residence were attacked three times by Israeli forces before they entered the facility. WHO staff members and their families, including women and children, were forced to evacuate on foot to Al-Mawasi, a designated humanitarian zone. Several men were detained—some handcuffed, stripped, and interrogated at gunpoint before being screened for weapons.
Of the four people detained during the raid, WHO confirmed that three have since been released, while one staff member remains in Israeli custody. The agency called for the immediate release of the detained individual and warned that continued military action against humanitarian facilities was putting aid operations and civilian lives at severe risk.
“This attack is a clear violation of international humanitarian law,” the WHO stated, emphasizing that the facility had been coordinating closely with Israeli authorities and that all its staff had been previously vetted.
This marks the first confirmed IDF ground operation in Deir al-Balah, an area in central Gaza that had, until now, seen less military activity than the north and southern Rafah regions. The Israeli army says the operation is part of an intensified effort to dismantle Hamas infrastructure, but humanitarian groups warn the civilian toll is mounting rapidly.
The United Nations and other international agencies have condemned the targeting of medical and humanitarian sites. Human rights groups are urging Israel to cease military actions that endanger aid workers and to ensure the neutrality of international organizations operating in the besieged enclave.
As the conflict deepens and Gaza’s humanitarian situation grows increasingly dire, the incident at the WHO compound has become a flashpoint in the broader debate over the conduct of war and the protection of humanitarian spaces in active conflict zones. The WHO has demanded an investigation and renewed calls for unimpeded humanitarian access to civilians trapped in the ongoing conflict.
