July 22 (UPI) — The World Health Organization said employees and family members living at its staff residence in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza were left traumatized after being stripped and interrogated at gunpoint by Israeli forces after the premises were badly damaged in airstrikes.

The WHO said in a news release Monday that it condemned “in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there,” and the destruction of its main warehouse nearby.

“Staff and their families, including children, were exposed to grave danger and traumatized after airstrikes caused a fire and significant damage. Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict,” the statement said.

“Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff member remains in detention.”

WHO said it had to rescue 32 people, including women and children and evacuate them to the nearby WHO office, along with a further 11 people in other staff housing.

The Israeli military acknowledged, without naming the WHO, that it had detained several terror suspects as part of its operations targeting terrorist organizations in the area, insisting it was within its rights to act against threats to Israel’s security. It also claimed it coordinated with the international organizations and ensured their staff were kept safe while they were being evacuated.

“After field questioning, the majority were released and evacuated from the area in coordination with the international organizations. It should be emphasized that the suspects are treated in accordance with international law. At times during field questioning, it is necessary for suspects to temporarily remove parts of their clothing in order to ensure that they are not concealing explosives or weapons,” the IDF said in a post on X.

“The IDF has facilitated the safe evacuations of their personnel from evacuated areas, in coordination with the troops and in accordance with operational requirements.”

The WHO demanded that its staff be protected at all times and called for the immediate release of the remaining detained staff member.

Monday’s incident came after the Israel Defense Forces launched an air and ground offensive targeting Deir al-Balah, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have been sheltering.

Before the start of the operation, the first attack on the central Gaza town since the start of the war, Israel issued evacuation orders affecting at least 50,000 people and several WHO premises in the area.

WHO said attacks on staff and destruction of its main warehouse were part of “a pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities” that had left the operational capability of the United Nations’ lead health agency badly compromised.

Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images

(LONDON) — The World Health Organization’s staff residence in Deir al Balah, Gaza, was attacked three times by the Israel Defense Forces, WHO officials said in a statement.

The Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi, according to the Tuesday statement. The WHO said male staffers and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint.

“WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there, and the destruction of its main warehouse,” WHO said.

The IDF released a statement on Tuesday on social media about its military action in Deir al Balah.

The statement, which was released after the WHO statement, didn’t mention the WHO by name, but said the Israeli military had been “in contact” with international organizations prior to the start of its action in Deir Al Balah.

“We emphasize that the IDF maintains continuous and consistent contact with the international organizations, and throughout the war, the IDF has facilitated the safe evacuations of their personnel from evacuated areas, in coordination with the troops and in accordance with operational requirements,” the IDF said in its statement.

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Here are the latest updates on day 655 of the war:

■ Sgt. Maj (res.) Vladimir Loza, 36, from Ashkelon, a soldier in the Givati Brigade’s 7020th Battalion, was killed in the collapse of a building on Monday in the southern Gaza Strip.

■ Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City announced that it received Tuesday morning one person, who was killed, and 118, who were wounded, including women and children, while waiting to receive humanitarian aid in the southwestern part of the city.

■ The AFP news agency issued a statement warning that its journalists in the Gaza Strip are at risk of starvation due to the continued blockade of food and humanitarian aid by Israel.

■ Two babies, one of them 40 days old, died from hunger in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, according to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

■ A missile launched from Yemen fell outside Israel and did not trigger sirens.

■ Israel Police said the Church of St. George in the West Bank village of Taybeh was not set on fire and that reports of such are “factually incorrect and devoid of any evidentiary basis.” Earlier in July, it was reported that the church was set on fire by settlers.

■ U.S. President Donald Trump threatened further military action against Iran in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

■ Israeli tank shelling killed at least 12 Palestinians and wounded dozens others in a tent encampment in western Gaza City north of the enclave, local health authorities said early on Tuesday.

■ Israeli tanks entered the southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Until now, the IDF had avoided ground operations in the city over concerns about the presence of Israeli hostages held there by Hamas.

■ The World Health Organization said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in the city of Deir al-Balah on Monday, compromising its operations in Gaza. It said one staff member is still being held after Israeli forces detained two of its staff members and two family members during a raid of its staff quarters.

■ The IDF said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen after sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, other areas in central Israel, Jerusalem and southern Israel.

LONDON — The World Health Organization say that their staff residence in Deir al Balah, Gaza, has been attacked three times by the IDF after Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi, WHO officials said.

The WHO said in a statement on Tuesday morning that male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot and screened at gunpoint.

“WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there, and the destruction of its main warehouse,” WHO said.

Smoke rises during Israeli strikes amid the Israeli military operation in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, July 21, 2025. Hatem Khaled/Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces have not yet commented.