Gaza healthcare system 'under severe threat' amid Israeli attacks: WHO

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Dec 2024 13:06

UNRWA says Gaza's residents face "extreme food insecurity" and that the Israeli occupation has blocked two attempts to access besieged areas in northern Gaza to provide humanitarian assistance.

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World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a working session on energy and food security during the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, November 15, 2022 (AP)

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), has condemned the continued targeting of hospitals in Gaza amid escalating Israeli violence, warning that the region’s already fragile healthcare system "is under severe threat."

Dr. Tedros highlighted the closure of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza following a recent Israeli raid, which led to the forced evacuation of both patients and medical staff.

"The critical patients were moved to Indonesian Hospital, which is itself out of function," he noted.

He added that the raid resulted in the detention of the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, whose whereabouts remain unknown, adding that the WHO is calling for his immediate release and for an end to such actions that disrupt vital medical services.

Hospitals in #Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat.

Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern #Gaza is out of service — following the raid, forced patient and staff evacuation and the detention of its director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya two…
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) December 30, 2024

According to Tedros, the WHO and its partners delivered Monday "basic medical and hygiene supplies, food and water to Indonesian Hospital and transferred 10 critical patients to Al-Shifa Hospital" but four patients were detained during the process.

He urged "Israel to ensure their health care needs and rights are upheld."

"Seven patients along with 15 caregivers and health workers remain at the severely damaged Indonesian Hospital, which has no ability to provide care," the WHO chief confirmed, adding that the al-Ahli Hospital and al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital in Gaza City were also targeted and damaged on Monday.

"We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals. People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid. Ceasefire!"

Aid delivered to Gaza 'is nowhere near enough'

In a similar context, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned of the risk of famine in Gaza, where residents are grappling with severe food insecurity and a shortage of humanitarian aid amid the ongoing Israeli war, which has persisted for more than 14 months.

In a series of posts on its account on X, the UN agency stated that its teams are working to deliver aid to those in need but emphasized that "aid is nowhere near enough."

In #Gaza, millions face extreme food insecurity. #UNRWAworks to reach those in need, but aid is nowhere near enough.

International cooperation and a #CeasefireNow are desperately needed to deliver life-saving aid as famine looms. pic.twitter.com/iNFVrwM9Ax
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 29, 2024

The agency highlighted that Gaza's residents face "extreme food insecurity" and revealed that the Israeli occupation has blocked two attempts to access besieged areas in northern Gaza to provide humanitarian assistance.

In a related context, the low pressure affecting Palestine has exacerbated the suffering of displaced people in Gaza, with dozens of tents in displacement camps, particularly in Deir al-Balah and Mawasi Khan Younis, submerged in water.

Displaced individuals endured a harrowing night as rainwater flooded their tents and winds battered them during the low pressure that began on Sunday evening.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that "temperatures in Gaza have reached their lowest levels in years, and the overnight rains have flooded the tents of the displaced."

Two million displaced individuals are enduring harsh conditions in Gaza amid winter storms and extreme cold waves.

Local officials revealed that 110,000 out of 135,000 tents have been damaged or worn out due to time, weather conditions, and Israeli shelling, rendering them unusable.

The Gaza Government Media Office reported that 81% of the tents housing displaced persons are uninhabitable and have completely deteriorated due to adverse weather conditions.