GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a dire warning on Friday, stating that the territory’s health system is on the verge of collapse and cannot afford to lose any more health facilities, ambulances, or hospital beds.
Christian Lindmeier, a spokesperson for WHO, conveyed the severity of the situation during a press briefing in Geneva, describing it as “getting more and more horrible by the day… beyond belief, literally.”
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), only 14 out of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are currently operational. The health crisis has escalated as a result of the weeks-long Israeli bombing campaign, with intense airstrikes devastating vast areas of Gaza, displacing around 80 percent of the population and causing shortages of essential supplies such as food, fuel, water, and medicine.
WHO Calls for Urgent Ceasefire in Gaza
Lindmeier emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire, stating that the situation is critical, with children and people suffering due to the scarcity of basic necessities. “Civilization is about to break down,” he warned, citing instances of people resorting to cutting down telephone poles for firewood in an effort to stay warm and cook.
A planned medical convoy to deliver supplies to Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City and evacuate 12 patients had to be suspended due to the precarious security situation. Lindmeier highlighted the challenges faced by health workers, noting that they lack sufficient food and water to continue their critical work. Describing the conditions in Gaza’s trauma wards, he stated, “Patients are bleeding on the floor; trauma wards resemble battlefields.”
