GAZA, (PIC)
The International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization have warned of the deteriorating health and humanitarian situation in northern Gaza due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, which has led to the suspension of civil defense and ambulance services, in addition to the prevention of food, water, and medicine from entering the area.
For the 23rd consecutive day, the Israeli occupying army continues its intense air and artillery bombardment and gunfire in northern Gaza, particularly in the Jabalia refugee camp and the town of Beit Lahiya, continuing what is described as a war of extermination against the region, visible to the world.
Stephanie Eller, Deputy Head of the Red Cross Mission in Gaza, described the situation in northern Gaza as “extremely tragic,” stating that a safe passage must be provided for those wishing to leave their locations. She added in a statement that “the ongoing evacuation orders and continuous restrictions on the entry of essential supplies leave the remaining civilian population in northern Gaza in horrific conditions.” She emphasized that the occupying army’s request to evacuate hospitals creates a potential gap in medical services for a large number of remaining civilians.
Humanitarian catastrophe
For his part, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation in northern Gaza as “catastrophic,” noting a “serious shortage of medical supplies, compounded by extremely limited access to these supplies, denying people vital treatments.”
He confirmed that the occupying army attacked Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, and detained 44 male staff members, leaving only one female staff member, the hospital director, and one doctor to care for about 200 patients in urgent need of treatment. He added that “information about hospitals and medical supplies that have been damaged or destroyed during the siege is regrettable.”
Tedros said that “the entire health system in Gaza has been under attack for more than a year,” stressing that “hospitals must be protected from conflict at all times,” and reiterating that any attack on healthcare facilities constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.
He considered that the only way to save what remains of the collapsing health system in Gaza is an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has been waging a war of extermination against Gaza, resulting in over 143,000 Palestinian martyrs and injured, most of whom are children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and famine that has killed dozens of children and the elderly, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters the world had ever witnessed.
