Infectious diseases ravage through the Gaza Strip: OCHA warns
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The UN agency has warned against rapidly spreading infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip, amid an overwhelmed health sector.
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Palestinian women and children hold out containers at a food donation point in the southernmost district of the Gaza Strip, Rafah, Palestine, on December 28, 2023. (AFP)
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned against the spread of infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip, as its people face an 85-day-long Israeli aggression.
Factors, deliberately induced by the Israeli occupation's aggression, have spurred the spreading of infectious diseases in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli measures, such as the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from the northern Gaza Strip toward southern regions, have contributed to the proliferation of diseases, as thousands of people were clumped up in severely underequipped shelters, schools, and hospitals.
OCHA revealed that about 180,000 people have been diagnosed with upper respiratory infections, while more than 136,000 cases of diarrhea were recorded among Gazans. This comes as Israeli authorities tighten their siege on the Strip, allowing measly amounts of water into the Strip, forcing Gazans to turn to salinated and untreated sources of water, which has had detrimental effects on their health.
On the other hand, overcrowding and the lack of sanitary products, have led to at least 55,400 cases of lice and scabies, as well as 5,330 cases of chickenpox, in 12 weeks.
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IOF targets hospitals
Adding to the torment of Palestinians, the Israeli occupation put tens of hospitals and medical centers out of service, severely impacting the potency of medical care.
OCHA's report reveals that increased cases of infectious diseases have increased pressure on the health system, which deals with hundreds of wounded people daily.
The aforementioned factors come as a direct result of the Israeli aggression, in which Israeli occupation forces have actively blocked the entry of medical supplies, food, and water into the Strip, attacked hospitals and medical staff, and forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands from their residences.
Read more: Israeli occupation desecrates Gaza martyrs bodies, steals vital organs
No homes to return to
A Wall Street Journal report highlighted that by mid-December, the Israeli occupation forces had dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions, and shells on the Gaza Strip, destroying and damaging "nearly 70% of Gaza’s 439,000 homes and about half of its buildings."
The WSJ's assessment is based on an analysis of satellite imagery of the Gaza Strip and other advanced remote sensing techniques.
The report emphasized that "the bombing has damaged Byzantine churches and ancient mosques, factories and apartment buildings, shopping malls and luxury hotels, theaters, and schools," adding that "much of the water, electrical, communications and healthcare infrastructure that made Gaza function is beyond repair."
Residents of Gaza, enduring the hardships of an 85-day conflict, have witnessed a lack of international mobilization to halt the ongoing war on the Strip. With political and military support from the United States, "Israel" has carried out one of the most devastating atrocities in modern history. This includes significant loss of life, destruction of cultural and religious sites, and enduring long-term infrastructural damages.
Read more: Israeli forces loot, ransack homes of Palestinians in Gaza
