Disease could kill more people in Gaza than bombs
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More people could die from disease than from bombings in the Gaza Strip if health and sanitation systems are not repaired, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
Critical infrastructure in war-torn Gaza has been crippled by fuel and supply shortages and targeted attacks on hospitals and United Nations facilities since Israel launched attacks on Gaza on October 7.
“We will eventually see more people die from disease than from bombings if we are not able to rebuild this health system,” said WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday, November 28. .
She described the collapse of al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza as a “tragedy” and expressed concern over the detention of some of its medical staff by Israeli forces who took control of the complex earlier this month.
She also repeated concerns about increasing infectious disease outbreaks in Gaza, especially diarrhea.
Citing a United Nations report on the living conditions of displaced residents in northern Gaza, she said: “(There are) no medicines, no vaccination activities, no access to clean water and hygiene and no food.”
The WHO says all major sanitation services have stopped functioning in Gaza, which could increase the likelihood of gastrointestinal and infectious diseases among local populations, including cholera.
The WHO claims to have recorded more than 44,000 cases of diarrhea and 70,000 acute respiratory infections, but the real numbers could be significantly higher.
James Elder, spokesman for the UN children’s agency in Gaza, told reporters via video conference that hospitals were full of children suffering from war injuries and gastroenteritis from drinking dirty water. “They don’t have access to clean water and it’s paralyzing them,” he said.
Despite the temporary truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, which was extended for two days as it expired on Tuesday morning, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health said no fuel had arrived for hospital generators in northern Hamas. territory.
Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Siraj said that without fuel, the territory would not be able to pump drinking water or clean up waste accumulating in the streets, warning of a potential public health “catastrophe”.
Israeli Air Force strikes have killed more than 14,800 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
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Source: www.lindaikejisblog.com