Israel’s 15-month military campaign in Gaza has pulverized neighborhoods, depleted food, water and fuel supplies, and decimated health care infrastructure, and aid groups are now scrambling to step up their response to the humanitarian catastrophe.
“Only half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational, nearly all hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, and just 38% of primary health care centres are functional,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said Sunday.
WHO warned that the number of Palestinians killed and wounded was likely much higher than the official count from the Ministry of Health, and said an estimated 30,000 people had sustained injuries that needed ongoing rehabilitation largely unavailable in Gaza.
“Transmission of infectious diseases has massively increased, malnutrition is rising, and the risk of famine persists. The breakdown of public order, exacerbated by armed gangs, raises further concerns,” the WHO added.
In response to the challenges outlined in the statement, WHO said it would work with its partners to implement a 60-day plan to restore and expand the health system in the strip.
“Given the high level of malnutrition and disease outbreaks, WHO is working with partners to expand infant and young child feeding programmes, enhance immunization efforts and reinforce disease surveillance systems for timely prevention, reporting, and outbreak management,” the agency noted.
“WHO calls on all parties to uphold their commitment to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and to continue working towards a political solution to address the protracted crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, which is essential for lasting peace,” it added.
The Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel took effect on Sunday.
Nearly 47,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 110,700 others injured in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli war has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
