The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, affirmed, Wednesday February 21, that the “health and humanitarian” situation in the Gaza Strip is “inhumane and continues to deteriorate”, after more than four months of war triggered by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
“What world do we live in when people can’t get food and water, or when people who can’t even walk can’t receive care? “, declared Mr. Tedros, during a regular press conference in Geneva.
“What world do we live in when healthcare workers risk being bombarded while doing their jobs? What world do we live in when hospitals have to close because there is no more electricity or medicine to save patients, and they are targeted by the military? » he continued.
More generally, “Gaza has become a death zone,” assured the head of the WHO, using an expression he has already used. “Much of the territory has been destroyed, more than 29,000 people are dead, many more are missing, presumed dead, and many, many more are injured,” he added.
He also noted that levels of severe malnutrition in the Gaza Strip have increased dramatically since the start of the war, from less than 1% to more than 15% in some places.
“We need a ceasefire now! The hostages must be freed, the bombs must stop falling and access to humanitarian aid must be free. Humanity must prevail,” insisted Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
According to the UN, 2.2 million people, the vast majority of the population, are threatened with famine in the Gaza Strip, besieged by Israel since the start of the war. The situation is particularly alarming in the north of the enclave, prey to “chaos and violence”, according to the World Food Program, which suspended the distribution of its aid in this sector on Tuesday.
Humanitarian aid, subject to Israeli approval, enters Gaza mainly through Rafah, but its transport to the north is made almost impossible by the destruction and fighting which isolate this region from the rest of the territory.
