The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning about another hospital in Gaza that is currently experiencing severe shortages. This is part of the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning on Sunday for the central Gaza region. They stated that medics at the only hospital in Deir al Balah governorate were forced to stop their life-saving and essential work due to an evacuation order. This was due to an increase in Israeli military activity.
According to reports, there are currently only five doctors left at Al-Aqsa Hospital in the Middle Area of Gaza. A team from WHO provided medical supplies to assist 4,500 dialysis patients for a period of three months and 500 patients in need of trauma care.
Patients treated on the floor
Sean Casey, a Health Emergency Officer from WHO, shared a video on X social media platform on Sunday evening. The footage displayed chaotic scenes at Al-Aqsa, where medics were attending to patients on a blood-streaked floor. According to Casey, “hundreds” of people were brought in for immediate medical care.
According to Mr. Casey, in a small emergency department, there are instances of numerous injuries being reported on a daily basis. This has resulted in children being treated on the floor.
In a recent statement, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed similar worries, noting that there are significant requirements at the hospital including adequate healthcare workers, medical resources, and beds. However, hospital staff stated that their main priority is ensuring the safety and security of the hospital, its employees, patients, and families amidst ongoing strikes and conflicts.
According to Tedros, over 600 patients, as well as many healthcare workers, were allegedly expelled from the facility. He stated that it is unacceptable for healthcare to be compromised.
The United Nations health organization reports that there are no hospitals operating at full capacity in northern Gaza. The World Health Organization had to cancel a planned visit to the northern area on Sunday due to safety concerns and lack of authorization. In other parts of Gaza, only a small number of health facilities are currently functioning, according to the head of the WHO.
Over the past few days, there has been a significant rise in the number of casualties, according to Tedros. He stated that there has been an influx of more than 120 trauma cases and numerous fatalities per day, attributed to escalated shelling, gunshot wounds, injuries from collapsed buildings, and other forms of trauma related to the ongoing war.
The World Health Organization is currently working on arrangements to send an emergency medical team to assist the medical staff at Al-Aqsa. The Director-General of the UN health agency emphasized that this can only occur in a safe and stable setting.
In Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip, children anxiously anticipate being served food.
The northern targets were hit.
According to a recent update from OCHA, Israeli forces launched “intense” strikes in various locations in Gaza, including the central Deir Al Balah governorate and the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. In addition, targets in Gaza city, Jabaliya Camp, Tal Az Za’atar, and Beit Lahiya were also hit, resulting in a high number of fatalities in the Al Fallouja area of Jabaliya Camp.
According to the UN aid office, there was ongoing rocket attacks from armed groups in Palestine towards Israel, amidst ongoing ground operations and fighting in various parts of the Gaza Strip, leading to further loss of life.
The increasing number of casualties continues without an end in sight.
The most recent information from the health department in Gaza, reported by the UN humanitarian division, showed that there have been a minimum of 22,835 deaths since the Israeli military started attacking in response to terrorist attacks led by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7th. These attacks resulted in 1,200 deaths, including 33 children, and approximately 250 people being taken as hostages.
According to OCHA, there were reports of 225 Palestinian deaths and nearly 300 injuries from Friday to Sunday. In addition, 174 Israeli soldiers have been killed and over 1,000 injured in Gaza since the start of ground operations.
The Israeli Defense Forces reported that the attacks have started.
Deadly disease threat
During the ongoing and fatal conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has calculated that there are currently around 3,200 new occurrences of diarrhea per day among children under the age of five. This is a significant increase from the previous average of 2,000 cases per month before the situation worsened.
Additionally, there is great worry for 90% of children under the age of two who are currently experiencing “extreme food insecurity” and are only able to consume grains (such as bread) or milk for sustenance.
UNICEF’s Executive-Director Catherine Russell expressed concern over the current situation in Gaza, stating that time is limited and many children are already suffering from severe acute malnutrition. As the risk of famine grows, there is a possibility that hundreds of thousands of young children will also face severe malnutrition and potential death. It is crucial that we take action to prevent this from happening.
New data released by OCHA shows that 218 trucks loaded with essential items such as food and medicine were able to enter Gaza through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings on January 6th and 7th. Prior to the start of the conflict, the Strip received over 500 aid trucks daily, with approximately 60% of them using the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The Secretary-General, António Guterres, had a meeting with Sigrid Kaag, who serves as the Senior Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction in Gaza.
UN Coordinator for Gaza
On Monday, Sigrid Kaag officially started her position as the Senior Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Reconstruction in Gaza. She will be responsible for overseeing and ensuring the proper delivery of relief supplies to the affected area, in accordance with the recent Security Council resolution 2720.
She has occupied various high-ranking positions in the United Nations, but most recently held the role of finance minister in the previous Dutch government.
Ms. Kaag will be faced with the difficult responsibility of creating a system to speed up the delivery of assistance to Gaza from non-conflict States.
On her inaugural day as the new office holder, she met with the United Nations Secretary-General in New York. However, she will be traveling to Washington DC later this week before embarking on a trip to the Middle East.
Source: news.un.org
