GENEVA: The World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Sunday warned that the continuous Israeli bombardments in the Gaza Strip are having a “catastrophic” impact on health in the besieged enclave.
Addressing a special session of the WHO’s executive board, Tedros described the Palestinian territory’s health system as in free fall, with medics facing an “impossible” job under unimaginable conditions.
“The impact of the conflict on health is catastrophic,” Tedros declared during the Geneva meeting. He highlighted the dangerous combination of overcrowding, inadequate access to food, water, shelter, and sanitation. He said that this combination is creating ideal conditions for the spread of diseases as more and more Palestinian people are confined to smaller areas.
Expressing deep concern, Tedros noted the alarming signs of epidemic diseases, with the risk expected to intensify as conditions worsen and winter approaches. He described Gaza’s health system as “on its knees and collapsing,” revealing that only 14 out of 36 hospitals are functioning, and just two of them are operational in the north of the coastal territory.
Gaza Health System on the Verge of Collapse
Out of the original 3,500 hospital beds, only 1,400 are currently available, and major hospitals in southern Gaza are operating at three times their bed capacity, Tedros added. Since October 7, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has resulted in the death of at least 17,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Tedros emphasized that healthcare workers are facing impossible conditions, with many directly in the line of fire. He highlighted the physical and mental exhaustion of medics who are doing their best under extreme circumstances, concluding, “There is no health without peace, and no peace without health.”
The special session was convened by 17 of the 34 countries on the WHO’s executive board, responding to the urgent situation in Gaza. A draft resolution proposed by Afghanistan, Morocco, Qatar, and Yemen calls for immediate, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian relief into Gaza, as well as the granting of exit permits for patients.
The resolution also urges the supply and replenishment of medicine and medical equipment to civilians and demands access to medical treatment for all persons deprived of their liberty. The resolution expresses “grave concern” at the humanitarian situation, deplores the “widespread destruction,” and calls for the protection of all civilians.
