WHO: The Healthcare Sector in Gaza is "Catastrophic"

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated on Sunday that the impact of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on the healthcare sector in Gaza is "catastrophic," even if the organization's urgent proposal to introduce more supplies and medical teams is approved. During an emergency meeting of the organization’s Executive Board, he revealed that "the conditions are primed for the spread of fatal diseases." Ghebreyesus addressed the 34-member council, saying, "It is abundantly clear that the impact of the conflict on health is catastrophic," and added, "In short, health needs have significantly increased while the capacity of the health system has decreased to one-third of what it was." He noted that it would be challenging to meet the Executive Board's requests given the security situation on the ground and expressed deep regret that the UN Security Council had been unable to agree on a ceasefire resolution after the United States vetoed it. He continued, "Replenishing health facilities with supplies has become extremely difficult and is severely threatened due to the security situation on the ground and insufficient resupply from outside Gaza."