The UN chief expressed his deep concern in a statement released by his spokesman Sthéphane Dujarric as Al-Shifa hospital is the focus of Israel Defense Forces operations.

Tel Aviv troops claimed that Hamas set up a command center underneath the health facility, an accusation denied by medical staff.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 135 health facilities in Gaza have been under attack over the past month.

According to WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris, this has been the highest toll on record in such a short time.

“I expect this is the worst we have ever seen,” she added.

Harris warned of a “growing trend” of attacks on health care, also seen in other ongoing conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine.

The spokeswoman considered heroic the workers of the facility, who are keeping up their efforts while the center has been without electricity since November 11 and there is not enough food and drinking water.

There were still some 700 patients and more than 400 health personnel at the site, in addition to some 3,000 displaced people who had sought refuge there.

According to Harris, 20 deaths were reported in the last 48 hours.

Press reports on Tuesday indicated that Israel offered to provide incubators to Al-Shifa hospital, where 36 newborns require constant care.

In the past three days, at least six premature babies died because their incubators could not function due to lack of electricity.

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