By Blessing Chinagorom
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has expressed deep concerns that a full-scale military operation in Rafah could lead to a bloodbath, adding that more than 1.2 million people are currently sheltering in the area, many unable to move anywhere else.
In a statement released by the health agency on Friday stating that the fullscale military operation will lead to a new wave of displacement that would exacerbate overcrowding, limiting access to food, water, health and sanitation services, also leading to increased disease outbreaks, worsening levels of hunger, and additional loss of lives.
Nearly seven months into Israel’s retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attack which has killed at least 34,596 Palestinians in Gaza, wounded about 77,816, and left thousands more missing while a full-scale Israeli military operation of Rafah looms.
WHO said, “Only 33% of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and 30% of primary health care centers are functional in some capacity amid repeated attacks, shortages of vital medical supplies, fuel, and staff”.
As part of contingency efforts, WHO stated that it urgently working with partners to restore and resuscitate health services, including through expansion of services and pre-positioning of supplies, but the broken health system would not be able to cope with a surge in casualties and deaths that a Rafah incursion would cause.
It added that the three hospitals (Al-Najjar, Al-Helal Al-Emarati and Kuwait hospitals) currently partially operational in Rafah will become unsafe to be reached by patients, staff, ambulance, and humanitarians when hostilities intensify in their vicinity and, as a result quickly become nonfunctional.
“The European Gaza Hospital in east Khan Younis, which is currently functioning as the third-level referral hospital for critical patients, is vulnerable as it could become isolated and unreachable during the incursion. Given this, the south will be left with six field hospitals and Al-Aqsa Hospital in the Middle Area, serving as the only referral hospital”.
Revealed that with partners and hospital staff, it has completed the first phase of restoration of Nasser Medical Complex, including cleaning and ensuring essential equipment is functioning.
“The emergency ward, nine operating theaters, intensive care unit, maternity ward, neonatal intensive care unit and the outpatient department are now partly functional, and national staff alongside emergency medical teams are working there.
“To alleviate the burden on hospitals, WHO and partners are establishing additional primary health centers and medical points in Khan Younis, Middle Area, and northern Gaza as well as pre-positioning medical supplies enable these facilities to detect, treat communicable and non-communicable diseases and manage wounds.
“A new field hospital is being set up in Al Mawasi in Rafah. A large WHO warehouse established in Deir al Bala and a sizable volume of medical supplies has been shifted there from warehouses in Rafah as they could become unreachable during the incursion.
“These measures will help to ensure the rapid movement of supplies to Khan Younis, Middle Area and northern Gaza when needed. In the north, we and partners are scaling up efforts to resupply and expand services at Kamal Adwan, Al-Ahli, and Al-Awda hospitals.
“Along with supporting the transfer of very ill patients to hospitals where they can get the treatment they need to survive. Plans are also underway to support the restoration of Patients’ Friendly Hospital, focusing on pediatric services.
Despite the contingency plans and efforts, WHO warned that substantial additional mortality and morbidity is expected when the military incursion takes place, called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, the removal of obstacles to the delivery of urgent humanitarian assistance into and across Gaza, at the scale that is required.
The health agency appealed for sanctity of health care to be respected, saying parties to the conflict have the coordinates of health facilities: imperative they are actively protected and remain accessible to patients, health workers and partners, adding that the safety of health and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed.