Discovery of poliovirus in Gaza incredibly alarming, UNICEF chief says
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The poliovirus has been added to the list of multiple humanitarian crises Gaza is experiencing on a daily basis.
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Catherine Russell, then ambassador-at-large for global women's issues at the US State Department, speaks during a panel discussion at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, January 8, 2015. (AFP)
The discovery of poliovirus in Gaza after UNICEF carried out tests on sewage samples is "extremely alarming", UNICEF Executive Director Catheline Russel underlined Thursday.
Gaza today is one of "the most dangerous places to be a child right now," the UN children's agency head warned.
Russell said the world was "getting so close, we believe, to getting rid of polio once and for all," adding that a potential outbreak requires "close attention."
"When children are already hungry and weak, their bodies are much more vulnerable and susceptible to getting these diseases," Russell said during an interview in Australia, expressing concern about the possible transmission of other infectious diseases in Gaza, such as cholera.
The International Criminal Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor accused "Israel" of weaponizing the "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare", an act that violates international humanitarian law which the occupation government has denied.
'It's not totally lawless, but there's an element of lawlessness to it'
As part of her visit to Australia, the UNICEF executive met with Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong on Monday, expressing that Gaza is an "incredibly dangerous" operating environment for the UN organization and other humanitarian institutions.
"It's not totally lawless, but there's an element of lawlessness to it," she said, according to The Guardian.
Aside from "Israel's" ongoing nine-month bombardment and genocide in Gaza, Russell attributed the Strip's status as potentially "the most dangerous place to be a child right now" to the destruction and "radically compromised" health facilities, as well as the contentious displacement of the population.
"People are moving with nothing and moving to places where there is nothing," she said.
The director also responded to the occupation regime's constant blame on the UN organizations' alleged inability and lack of coordination to deliver aid to Gaza, stressing that the damaged infrastructure and security breakdowns were contributing factors to ineffective distribution.
"Yes, it is hard to get aid around for sure," she said. "But that's not for a lack of trying or a lack of competence on our part."
