WHO Executive Board backs Gaza aid, evacuation resolution

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Dec 2023 22:45

Despite expressing support, the US indicated that it maintained reservations about certain provisions outlined in the document.

A Palestinian doctor treats a prematurely born baby at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Voting results at the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated on Sunday that all 34 countries on the Executive Board of the organization, including the United States, are endorsing a resolution for the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of injured individuals.

The WHO Executive Board convened a special session at the request of 17 member states to address the situation in the region.

The unanimously adopted document also calls upon all parties involved in the conflict to adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law. Additionally, it appeals to the international community to ensure adequate funding for an effective response to the crisis.

Morocco, Afghanistan, Qatar, and Yemen proposed the draft resolution. Despite expressing support, the US indicated that it maintained reservations about certain provisions outlined in the document.

LIVE: @DrTedros' remarks at the closing of the WHO #EBSpecial Session on the health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory https://t.co/zbCWSaD9Vl
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 10, 2023

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qudra said on Sunday that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) committed "more than 20 massacres in the past hours," noting that "only 1% of the casualties of the aggression departed for treatment through the Rafah crossing."

The Israeli occupation continues its aggression on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted as of Saturday in the martyrdom of more than 17,700 and the injury of more than 48,780.

UN 'paralyzed by divisions'

During Qatar’s Doha Forum, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the UN Security Council is "paralyzed by geostrategic divisions," which is impeding an effective solution to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.

The remarks came after the US vetoed a UAE-drafted UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Secretary-General expressed disappointment regarding the UNSC's inability to implement a ceasefire, stating geopolitical divisions paralyze the “UNSC, its credibility undermined by the inability to pass a resolution urging a Gaza ceasefire.”

He added, “Regrettably, the Security Council failed to do it…I can promise, I will not give up... We are facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system”, as he declared that the situation is “deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.”