Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Ghebreyesus described the health system in Gaza as being on the verge of collapse, saying that a child is killed every 10 minutes in the Palestinian enclave.
Ghebreyesus made the remark while briefing a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session on the Israeli occupation’s aggression on the Gaza Strip late Friday.
“The situation is impossible to describe, with hospital corridors crammed with the injured, the sick and the dying, morgues overflowing, and surgical procedures conducted without anesthesia. Thousands of displaced people are sheltering at hospitals, with 70 percent of the more than 10,800 people so far killed being women and children. On average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza,” he said.
The WHO chief also urged the Security Council to secure an immediate ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access in Gaza where “nowhere and no one is safe”. Some 1.5 million people now are displaced and looking for shelter anywhere, but “nowhere and no one is safe” and overcrowding is increasing the risk diarrheal and respiratory diseases and skin infections, he said.
The WHO, which was part of the first aid convoy to enter Gaza through the Rafah Crossing on 21 October, has since delivered 63 metric tons of specialist medical equipment and supplies, but this does not address the scale of needs, he added. Since 7 October, the WHO has verified more than 250 attacks on health-care facilities in Gaza and the West Bank, in addition to 25 attacks on similar sites facilities in Israel, he added.
He called for unfettered access into Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, for Hamas to release its hostages and for Israel to restore electricity, water and fuel supplies. He also called for a ceasefire and for both sides to abide by international humanitarian law.
For his part, Marwan Jilani, Director General of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, which is responsible for receiving and distributing humanitarian aid through the Rafah Crossing, said that not a single drop of fuel has entered and without fuel or aid, particularly in the north of the Gaza Strip, many people will starve or die of thirst and disease.
The Council and the international community must ensure that an effective and immediate ceasefire is enforced, that fuel gets into Gaza immediately and that humanitarian aid is increased, with deliveries getting into northern Gaza, he said.
The Council must also ensure respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in all parts of Gaza, he stated. Moreover, it must ensure that hospitals get much-needed fuel, medicine and medical supplies, and that fresh medical teams be allowed to enter to relieve health workers who have been working tirelessly for the past 34 days, he said. Council members must urgently do all they can to spare further deaths and suffering of civilians, he stressed.
Lana Zaki, the representative of the United Arab Emirates, which requested today’s meeting, said that Israel must end its siege of Gaza and reinstate essential services. Its attacks will not bring security to that country, she added. Sustained and multi-day humanitarian pauses or truces – which are fundamental for achieving the goal of a durable and sustained ceasefire – must be activated, she stated, emphasizing that the two-State solution must be the overarching goal for achieving peace and stability in the Middle East. – KUNA
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