UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 : Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip continue to take a devastating toll on the population, with daily reports of killing and injuring many civilians, UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Thursday.
\nOCHA said dozens of people, including at least eight children, were killed in Gaza City on Wednesday after an Israeli strike hit a residential building. Many others are still missing under the rubble.
\nThe agency stressed that civilians must be protected and should never be a target.
\nIsrael\u2019s total blockade on all commercial and lifesaving relief supplies remains in place, though the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed to some good news as 18 Gazans were medically evacuated for specialized treatment abroad.
\nThe patients along with nearly 30 companions headed for Norway, Malta, Luxembourg and Romania via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza on Wednesday.
\nWHO noted, however, that some 12,500 patients in the enclave still need to be evacuated.
\nAccess to healthcare facilities has been impacted by displacement orders issued by the Israeli military and the safety of healthcare workers remains at risk.
\nAt least two medical professionals were reported killed as they left their health facility in Gaza City on Monday, according to OCHA.
\nToday, 12 out of 17 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are partially functional and there is only one field hospital.
\nWHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the dire health conditions in a media briefing on Thursday.
\nHe said the blockade, which took effect on 2 March, has prevented the entry of all food and medicine. Additionally, 75 per cent of UN missions within Gaza over the past week were denied or impeded.
\n\u201cThis blockade is leaving families hungry, malnourished, without clean water, shelter, and adequate healthcare, and increasing the risk of disease and death,\u201d he said, speaking from WHO Headquarters in Geneva.
\nHe noted that during the recent \u201cprecious ceasefire\u201d WHO was able to re-supply the Gaza health system as well as its warehouses. Stocks are now dangerously low and will run out within two to four weeks.
\nTedros said that \u201c180,000 doses of routine childhood vaccines \u2013 enough to fully protect 60,000 children under thee age of two \u2013 have not been allowed to enter, leaving newborns and young children at risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Furthermore, it is estimated that since the ceasefire collapsed, almost 1,500 people have been killed, including 500 children, and almost 400,000 people have been displaced again.
\n\u201cThe health system is only functioning partially and is overwhelmed. Meanwhile, healthcare continues to be attacked,\u201d\u009d Tedros said, recalling that more than 400 humanitarians have been killed since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023, following the deadly Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel.
\nAs supplies inside the Gaza Strip near exhaustion and the situation becomes increasingly dire, there has been an increase in looting in recent days, OCHA said.
\nSeveral incidents were reported in Rafah, and Deir Al-Balah, and Al Zawaida earlier this week.
\nOCHA once again reiterated the urgency of re-opening crossings to allow the entry of critical supplies.
\nCurrently, more than 60,000 children are reportedly suffering from malnutrition at a time when community kitchens are rapidly running out of fuel and supplies.
\nHumanitarian partners are also warning of acute water shortages in shelters hosting displaced people.
\n\u201cThe loss of water \u2013 together with the lack of cleaning supplies and cohabitatioon with livestock \u2013 are having a dire public health impact. In Marchh, more than one third of households in Gaza experienced lice infestations,\u201d OCHA said.
\nThis week, humanitarian partners also identified more than a dozen unaccompanied and separated children and are doing everything possible to reunite them with their families.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 11 : Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip continue to take a devastating toll on the population, with daily reports of killing and injuring many civilians, UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said on Thursday. OCHA said dozens of people, including at least […]<\/p>\n
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