WHO Chief Decries Hospital Attacks in Iran, Media Forgets Gaza
📰 THE STORY: The New Arab, referencing the WHO Director-General Tedros, reports on attacks on hospitals and medical workers in Iran amid unspecified unrest, noting damaged clinics, hit ambulances, and injured paramedics, and highlighting WHO's call for protecting healthcare in all circumstances. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: While the New Arab article cites a 2026 date
(likely a typo, given it references recent unrest), it implies current events. Yet, the WHO's pronouncements on healthcare attacks globally have varied dramatically. For instance, in Gaza, as of January 2024, the WHO reported over 400 attacks on healthcare facilities, including hospitals, since October 7, 2023, with more than 600 healthcare workers killed. This systematic targeting of an entire
healthcare system, leading to its near collapse, receives significantly less 'chief decrying' in Western mainstream media. The context of sustained sanctions on Iran also impacts its healthcare infrastructure. Double Standard: When isolated incidents or allegations of harm to healthcare occur in Iran, they become front-page news, amplified by Western media as evidence of state brutality. However,
when Israel systematically bombs virtually every hospital in Gaza, creating a 'graveyard' for children as the UN chief described, the same media often frames it as 'alleged' or contextualizes it with 'Hamas uses human shields,' fundamentally shifting blame and minimizing culpability. The public outcry for Gaza's medical catastrophe pales in comparison to the swift condemnation for less substantive