The population of the war-torn Palestinian territory is facing widespread hunger and desperation, according to a dire warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) about the dire situation in Gaza.
Two hospitals received supplies from the WHO yesterday, bringing attention to the fact that only 15 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are operational, and even those have limited space.
With serious injuries, acute starvation, and a high risk of disease in Gaza, the critical situation has put the work of humanitarian workers in jeopardy. WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has urgently called on the international community to act immediately.
According to a WHO statement, people who are starving have been stopping their convoys in an attempt to find food, which has made it more difficult for the organization to provide hospitals with fuel, medical supplies, and necessary medications. These efforts are becoming more and more hampered by the hunger and desperation of those traveling to hospitals.
With Hamas attacking southern Israel and Israel retaliating with massive aerial bombardment, siege, and ground invasion, the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel, which started on October 7, resulted in a significant loss of life.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, there have been at least 21,110 casualties, the majority of whom are women and children. The WHO emphasizes how critical it is that more food be delivered right away in order to protect staff members and maintain operations.
Although the safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid was called for in a resolution passed by the UN Security Council last week, the resolution has not yet had a significant effect on the ground. Tedros emphasizes the critical necessity of a ceasefire in order to protect civilians from additional harm and to start the protracted process of peace and reconstruction.
Delivering supplies and evaluating the urgent needs on the ground, WHO teams visited two hospitals yesterday: Al-Shifa in the north and Al-Amal Palestine Red Crescent Society in the south. Recent strikes have damaged vital hospital infrastructure, impacting the central ambulance dispatch system and lowering the number of operational ambulances, with 50,000 people seeking shelter at Al-Shifa and 14,000 at Al-Amal.
This latest round of population displacement is concerning because it will put additional strain on southern health facilities, increasing the likelihood of infectious disease outbreaks, overcrowding, and difficulties in providing humanitarian relief. The most recent WHO assessments state that there are currently 21 hospitals in Gaza that are completely non-functional, two that are minimally functional, and 13 that are partially functional.