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Join on Telegram Rabat – In the face of escalating Israeli aggression on Gaza, the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the alarm at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday, painting a bleak picture of Gaza’s health system on the brink of collapse.
“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,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.
“On average, a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza,” he added, highlighting the devastating impact on the civilian population, with over 70% of the casualties being women and children.
Ghebreyesus outlined the challenges faced by the 1.5 million displaced individuals desperately seeking shelter, emphasizing the heightened risk of diseases due to overcrowding. Despite WHO’s efforts to deliver medical supplies, the scale of needs far exceeds the current aid provided.
The Director-General also reported over 250 verified attacks on health-care facilities in Gaza and the West Bank since October 7, with an additional 25 attacks on similar facilities in Israel. He urged for unfettered access into Gaza to deliver crucial humanitarian aid, the release of hostages by Hamas, and the restoration of essential services by Israel.
Marwan Jilani, Director General of the Palestine Red Crescent Society, joined the plea, describing Israel’s deliberate targeting of hospitals in a desperate attempt to force the civilian population out.
With hospitals changing conditions rapidly, Jilani reported that displaced civilians, including children in incubators, are under immediate threat due to fuel shortages.
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Jilani paints a dire picture of the immediate threats faced by the sick and wounded. “As the main generator was shut off two days earlier due to a lack of fuel, there is a serious risk that all intensive care patients and children in incubators will die,” he warned.
“In addition to the imminent threat of being shot and killed, the 14,000 displaced civilians at the hospital are getting restless and desperate because of a lack of water, food, electricity,” Jilani urgently called on the Security Council.
He stressed the immediate need for an effective and immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid, and protection of civilians. “They are looking at you, imploring you to act to stop another possible massacre unfolding,” he said.
The representative of the United Arab Emirates, which requested the meeting, said that Israel must end its siege of Gaza and reinstate essential services.
Relentless Israeli attacks will not bring security to the region, the Emirati diplomat added, concluding: “It is unconscionable that it has been 33 days of the destruction of Gaza without any Council action and response. It is time to act, respond andsave innocent lives.”
