In Gaza, “health and humanitarian” situation “is inhumane and continues to deteriorate”, warns WHO
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, confirmed on Wednesday 21 February that the situation “Health and Humanitarian” is in the Gaza Strip “Inhumane and continues to deteriorate”, After more than four months of war that began with a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
“What kind of world do we live in when people can’t get food and water, or people who can’t even walk can’t get care? “, Mr Tedros made the announcement during a regular press conference in Geneva.
“What kind of world do we live in when healthcare workers risk being bombed while doing their jobs? What kind of world do we live in when hospitals have to close because there’s no more electricity or medicine to save patients, and they’re targeted by the military? ? » He continued.
more generally, “Gaza has become a death zone”assured the head of the WHO, using an expression he has already used. “Much of the region has been destroyed, over 29,000 people have been killed, many more are missing, presumed dead, and many, many more are injured”he added.
He also noted that the level of severe malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has increased dramatically since the beginning of the war, from less than 1% to more than 15% in some places.
“We need a truce now!” Hostages must be freed, the bombs must stop and humanitarian aid must have free access. Humanity must triumph”Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted.
According to the UN, 2.2 million people, a majority of the population, are at risk of famine in the Gaza Strip, which has been under siege by Israel since the start of the war. The situation is particularly alarming in the north of the enclave, which is suffering from “For Chaos and Violence”According to the World Food Program, which suspended its aid distribution to the region on Tuesday.
Humanitarian aid, subject to Israeli approval, enters Gaza mainly through Rafah, but the destruction and fighting has made its transport northward almost impossible, which separates the area from the rest of the region.
