Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 21st Nov. World Health Organization’s emergency response director Mike Ryan on Monday said that the thousands of injuries sustained by civilians across Gaza and the public health crisis is a ‘recipe for epidemics’
Dr. Mike Ryan was briefing journalists at UN Headquarters and added that “so many children” remain in danger, as fighting between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces continues, from hostages to those living under bombardment with no safe place to shelter.
He said up to 1,500 children in Gaza remain missing likely under rubble as the health system faces “extreme pressure”.
He said after the evacuation of many patients at the largest hospital, Al Shifa over the weekend, health staff remained at Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza may need to be evacuated in the next few days due to the ongoing fighting.
Dr. Ryan warned that the ultimatum from Israeli forces to keep moving is creating a concentration of people in UNRWA centres and schools, that “fuels epidemic risks” he added, and combined with cold rain recently, will lead to a spike in child pneumonia.
He stressed that before long the public health risks will be as grave as those faced with injuries that are going untreated with water, food and fuel so scarce.
Dr. Ryan added that all of this adds up to a ‘recipe for epidemics’ while calorific intake is now below the “critical level” needed for the immune system to stay healthy.
Rob Holden a WHO Senior Emergency Officer, briefed from Rafah in southern Gaza, gave details on the dramatic evacuation of 31 premature babies to relative safety from the war-torn Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
He said the two-pronged weekend operation had been a success with babies and remaining family members evacuated from the area, working with the Palestinian Red Crescent.
He revealed that 28 of them had been sent across the border into the care of the Egyptian Red Crescent and on for treatment Monday, relaying the news that three of the babies had been reunited with their immediate families in southern Gaza.
Mr. Holden said for 220 patients who remain at Al Shifa, were “in a life threatening condition”, needed dialysis, and with one man remaining in intensive care.
He added that 25 patients had severe spinal injuries and WHO would work with the Palestinian Red Crescent to move them south Gaza.
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told correspondents in New York that the Israeli authorities have agreed to allow 70,000 liters of fuel from Egypt into Gaza per day, “which is well below the minimum requirements for essential humanitarian operations.”
He said the fuel would be distributed by the UN Relief and Works Agency to support food distribution and the operation of generators at hospitals, water and sanitation facilities, shelters, and other critical services.
UNRWA and UNICEF distributed around 19,500 litres of fuel to water and sanitation facilities south of the central zone of Gaza “enabled them to operate generators and resume their operation”, but only for around 24 hours, he added.
He said that “To the north of Wadi Gaza, all water and sanitation facilities are presumed to be shut down, and no distribution of bottled water has been taking place since the start of the Israeli ground operations on 28 October, raising grave concerns about dehydration and waterborne diseases.”
Mr. Dujarric noted that the number killed in the attack that directly hit Al Fakhouri school in Jabalia on Saturday was 24 people, with others injured, cited UNRWA.
The facility was sheltering about 7,000 internally displaced, he said.
UN released a note to journalists in New York said political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, had met on Sunday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and other senior Israeli officials.
She met with families of hostages being held in Gaza.
On Monday, she held meetings with Israeli officials and UN colleagues on the ground.
She is traveling to Ramallah in the West Bank to meet with Palestinian leaders on Tuesday.
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