The World Health Organization has voiced that the horror unfolding in Gaza, situation on the ground is indescribable, hospitals crammed with the injured, lying in corridors, morgues overflowing over bombardment due Israeli-Palestinians conflict.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedro Ghebreyesus who made this known during media briefing on Thursday said the situation is worst that doctors are performing surgery without anaesthesia while thousands of people seeking shelter from the bombardment.
He said, since Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel on the 7th of October, more than 10 thousand people have been killed, including more than 8,500 in Gaza and 1,400 in Israel. “In both Israel and Gaza, 70% of those killed are women and children.
“Families crammed into overcrowded schools, desperate for food and water; Toilets overflowing and the risk of disease outbreaks spreading; And everywhere, fear, death, destruction, loss”, the DG explained.
Ghebreyesus revealed that so far, WHO has verified 237 attacks on health care, including 218 in the occupied Palestinian territory and 19 in Israel. “Attacks on health care are a violation of international humanitarian law.
“14 out of 36 hospitals in the Gaza strip are non-functional. However, functionality is affected by lack of food and clean water, and the lack of fuel to power generators.;As health needs soar, our ability to meet those needs is plummeting.
He added, “23 hospitals have been ordered to evacuate in Gaza city and North Gaza. Forced evacuation in these circumstances would put the lives of hundreds of patients in a life-threatening situation.
“Moving a baby on life support would be hazardous in a high-income country. Doing so in Gaza would gravely endanger a child whose life has only just begun, and who knows nothing of this conflict, nor is responsible for it.
“Demanding these patients move puts them and the health workers in an impossible situation. And in most cases, they have nowhere to go”, the DG said.
He appreciated the health workers in both Gaza and Israel who are dealing with the consequences of this conflict.
The DG said, the best way to support those health workers and the people they serve is to strengthen the existing health system – by resupplying the hospitals, and ensuring their security.
According to him, “In the past two weeks, WHO has been able to deliver 54 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Gaza. But this does not even begin to address scale of need. Far more is needed than can be delivered with a drip-feed of aid.
“Before the 7th of October, an average of 500 trucks a day were crossing into Gaza with essential supplies. Since the 7th of October, only 217 trucks have entered in total”.
He said to sustain the humanitarian response on the scale needed, hundreds of trucks need to enter Gaza every day. “We thank Egypt for opening the Rafah border crossing to allow the evacuation of severely injured patients and foreign nationals.
“We can help those who live every moment in fear. We can help injured civilians. We can help the almost 200 women who are expected to deliver babies every day. We can help children and older people. We can help those with life-threatening diseases who need urgent medical care.
“WHO will do everything we can to ensure that all people in Gaza have access to life saving health and humanitarian services. In the current situation this is almost impossible”.
Ghebreyesus called for humanitarian pause in the fighting, and ideally an end to the conflict, saying there can be no justification for Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel. “I understand the grief, the anger and the fear of the Israeli people. I also understand the grief, the anger, and the fear of the Palestinian people.
“WHO continues to call on Hamas to release the hostages it took, many of whom need urgent medical attention. We continue to call on Israel to restore supplies of electricity, water and fuel.
“We continue to call on both sides to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law. And we call on all who can to de-escalate this conflict, rather than inflame it”, WHO DG concluded.
