GAZA CITY: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday issued a stark warning, stating that diseases may cause more deaths in the besieged Gaza Strip than the brutal Israeli bombings if immediate actions are not taken to rebuild the devastated health system in the Palestinian enclave.
In the aftermath of Israel’s bombardment, which Gaza health authorities report has killed over 15,000 Palestinian people, mainly women and children, the WHO highlighted the critical need to restore the health infrastructure. The warning comes amidst a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, which was extended by two days on Monday.
According to reliable figures endorsed by the United Nations, around 40% of the confirmed deaths are children, with many more feared trapped under rubble.
Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the WHO, emphasized the potential for disease-related fatalities to surpass those from bombings if immediate actions are not taken to rebuild the health system. Harris expressed concerns about the rising incidence of infectious diseases, particularly among children, with reported cases of diarrhea in those aged five and older surging to more than 100 times normal levels by early November.
James Elder, spokesperson for the UN Children’s Agency in Gaza, shared harrowing details of hospital conditions, noting that children were presenting with burns, shrapnel wounds, and gastroenteritis from consuming contaminated water. He highlighted the dire lack of safe water and described the heartbreaking scenes of injured children lying in makeshift hospital areas due to overwhelmed medical facilities.
In a UN report on displaced residents in northern Gaza, Harris outlined the severe living conditions, including a lack of medicines, vaccination activities, access to safe water and hygiene, and adequate food. The collapse of Al Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza was termed a “tragedy,” with concerns raised about the detention of its medical staff by Israeli forces during a WHO evacuation convoy.
Harris also noted that nearly three-quarters of Gaza’s hospitals, 26 out of 36, have shut down due to Israeli bombings or imposed fuel shortages.
UN Warns of High Risk of Famine in Gaza
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) issued a dire warning on Tuesday, stating that the population of Gaza, particularly women and children, faces a high risk of famine if humanitarian food supplies are not consistently provided.
Since the initiation of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas last Friday, the WFP has delivered food to 121,161 people in Gaza. Taking advantage of the temporary pause in hostilities, the WFP’s teams have accessed areas that were difficult to reach for an extended period. However, the situation on the ground has been described as catastrophic by Corinne Fleischer, WFP’s director for the Middle East.
The WFP emphasized that the six-day truce was insufficient to make a meaningful impact, expressing the need for uninterrupted and regular supplies of food in Gaza. The agency estimates a “high risk of famine” for the population, especially vulnerable groups like women and children, if continued access to food is not ensured.
Since the start of the crisis, WFP has reached 759,082 people in Gaza with food and vouchers. The ongoing conflict, which began on October 7, after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel. In response, Israel launched a brutal campaign of airstrikes and ground operations in the Gaza Strip. Almost 15,000 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, have been killed in the Israeli attacks.
