By Online Desk
The UN has warned that Gaza is not getting enough aid to meet even basic emergency needs and the population is so ravaged by hunger, bombing and the lack of clean water that deaths from disease could outstrip those from war.
“All this aid is triage, and it’s not even enough for triage,” a Unicef spokesperson, James Elder, told a press conference in Geneva, speaking by video link from inside Gaza. “Everything here is emergency care.”
Elder’s comments came as US and Israeli spy bosses flew to Qatar for talks on how to extend the truce further in exchange for the release of more hostages by Hamas, The Guardian reports.
“Eventually, we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment, if we are not able to put back this health system and provide the basics of life. Food, water, medicines and of course fuel to operate hospitals.”
Diarrhoea increased by 45 times compared with the same period last year, and other communicable diseases, from respiratory infections to hygiene issues such as lice, have risen, she said, but people had little hope of getting treatment, Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the WHO has been quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Almost three-quarters of hospitals in Gaza and two-thirds of primary health care clinics have shut down because of damage from hostilities or lack of fuel, the WHO says. The north of Gaza is even more critical, with hospitals “almost entirely shut down”.
Even with simple illnesses where parents understood how to protect their children, such as providing hydration to those with diarrhoea, they were powerless because of a lack of food or clean water, The Guardian said.
The World Health Organization also said that only a “trickle” of aid was reaching Gaza, even during the pause in fighting. “It’s barely registering,” said Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the organisation. The scale of displacement meant needs were growing daily, even when there were no new war injuries.
The UN estimates 1.8 million people in Gaza have fled their homes, nearly four in five residents, with children making up half of those crowded into shelters, given shelter by relatives, or living in tents or cars. Follow channel on WhatsApp
The UN has warned that Gaza is not getting enough aid to meet even basic emergency needs and the population is so ravaged by hunger, bombing and the lack of clean water that deaths from disease could outstrip those from war.
“All this aid is triage, and it’s not even enough for triage,” a Unicef spokesperson, James Elder, told a press conference in Geneva, speaking by video link from inside Gaza. “Everything here is emergency care.”
Elder’s comments came as US and Israeli spy bosses flew to Qatar for talks on how to extend the truce further in exchange for the release of more hostages by Hamas, The Guardian reports.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
“Eventually, we will see more people dying from disease than we are even seeing from the bombardment, if we are not able to put back this health system and provide the basics of life. Food, water, medicines and of course fuel to operate hospitals.”
Diarrhoea increased by 45 times compared with the same period last year, and other communicable diseases, from respiratory infections to hygiene issues such as lice, have risen, she said, but people had little hope of getting treatment, Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the WHO has been quoted as saying by The Guardian.
Almost three-quarters of hospitals in Gaza and two-thirds of primary health care clinics have shut down because of damage from hostilities or lack of fuel, the WHO says. The north of Gaza is even more critical, with hospitals “almost entirely shut down”.
Even with simple illnesses where parents understood how to protect their children, such as providing hydration to those with diarrhoea, they were powerless because of a lack of food or clean water, The Guardian said.
The World Health Organization also said that only a “trickle” of aid was reaching Gaza, even during the pause in fighting. “It’s barely registering,” said Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the organisation. The scale of displacement meant needs were growing daily, even when there were no new war injuries.
The UN estimates 1.8 million people in Gaza have fled their homes, nearly four in five residents, with children making up half of those crowded into shelters, given shelter by relatives, or living in tents or cars. Follow channel on WhatsApp
