WHO: ‘Gaza’s health system is on its knees and collapsing’
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared that “the impact of the conflict on health is catastrophic”, adding that “Gaza’s health system is on its knees and collapsing.”
Speaking at an event in Geneva, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says that Israeli actions to force Palestinians into a smaller and smaller area is creating the “ideal conditions for disease to spread.”
He added that there is just one shower for every 750 people and one toilet for every 150. And “only 14 hospitals out of the original 36 (in the Gaza Strip) are even partially functional”: two in the north and 12 in the south.
The WHO boss also described the conditions for health workers as tough, stressing that ” they’re directly in the firing line”,
Ghebreyesus says the WHO has faced 449 attacks on healthcare in Gaza and the West Bank since the start of this war on 7 October 7.
In a similar development, the head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, says, “Dehumanisation of Palestinians has allowed the international community to bear continued Israeli attacks in Gaza.”
Speaking at the Doha Forum in Qatar, Lazzarini joins those who are demanding calls for a ceasefire, saying the “hell on earth” in Gaza should end.
“By any description, it is definitely the worst situation I have ever seen,” Lazzarini added.
“People are coming to the UN to seek protection, but even the blue flag is not protected anymore. By any account, the situation has reached a catastrophic nature.” He said.
