(Geneva) The population of the Gaza Strip is in “great danger”, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) insisted on Wednesday, stressing that hunger and despair were worsening in the Palestinian territory ravaged by the war.
The WHO said it was able to deliver equipment to two hospitals on Tuesday, in the north and south of the territory, while 21 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are no longer functioning at all.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the international community to take “urgent action to alleviate the grave danger facing the people of Gaza and compromising the ability of humanitarians to help a population suffering from terrible injuries, acute hunger, and a serious risk of disease.”
In a statement, the UN organization stressed that its team on the ground had reported on Tuesday a need for food which “continues to be acute” throughout the Gaza Strip. “Hungry people blocked our convoy in the hope of finding food,” the WHO reported.
“WHO’s ability to deliver medicines, medical supplies, and fuel to hospitals is increasingly constrained by the hunger and desperation of the people in and out of hospitals. get there,” added the organization.
“The safety of our teams and the continuation of operations depend on the delivery of more food to Gaza, immediately,” stressed Mr. Tedros.
The resolution adopted last week at the UN Security Council, which called for the “immediate” and “large-scale” delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, had “raised hope” for improvement, he said. it belongs.
“However, WHO’s findings on the ground show that the resolution has tragically had no effect at this stage,” he added.
“What we urgently need, immediately, is a ceasefire to spare civilians from continued violence, and begin the long road to peace and reconstruction.”