GENEVA, November 15. /TASS/. The IDF invasion of the al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip is totally unacceptable, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a briefing in Geneva.

"The Israeli military invasion of the al-Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza is totally unacceptable," he said, underscoring that "hospitals are not battlefield."

He pointed out that medical facilities, personnel and vehicles "must be protected from any warfare" under international humanitarian law.

The Organization is very concerned over the safety of the hospital’s staff and patients, he said, adding that the WHO has "lost communication with medical personnel in the al-Shifa."

On Wednesday morning, the IDF announced an operation against the Hamas movement in the al-Shifa hospital. Before entering the hospital, Israeli forces eliminated a number of militants in a clash. According to the Gaza Strip government’s press office, there are currently almost 9,000 people inside the hospital, including patients and the injured.