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Geneva:
The head of the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday that the population of Gaza is in a “grave crisis”, citing hunger and desperation in the war-torn Palestinian territory. The WHO said it had delivered supplies to two hospitals on Tuesday, adding that only 15 of the Gaza Strip’s 36 hospitals were operating at any capacity. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the international community to take immediate action to ease the dire crisis facing the population of Gaza.
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In a statement, the WHO said its staff reported that “hungry people blocked our convoy again today in the hope of finding food.” “WHO’s ability to supply hospitals with medicines, medical supplies and fuel is hampered by the hunger and desperation of the people we reach and walk into.” The bloodiest Gaza war to date erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to AFP figures based on Israeli data.
They took 250 hostages, 129 of whom are still inside Gaza, in the worst attack in the country’s history, according to Israeli officials. Israel launched an aerial bombardment and siege, followed by a ground attack. According to the Health Ministry of Hamas-run Gaza, the campaign has killed at least 21,110 people, most of them women and children. “The safety of our staff and the continuity of operations depend on the immediate delivery of more food to Gaza,” Tedros said.
WHO teams visited two hospitals on Tuesday – al-Shifa in the north and al-Amal Palestine Red Crescent Society in the south – to deliver supplies on the ground and assess needs. It said 50,000 people are taking refuge in Al-Shifa, while 14,000 people are taking refuge in Al-Amal. “At Al-Amal, colleagues witnessed the consequences of recent attacks, which disabled the hospital’s radio tower and affected the central ambulance dispatch system for the entire Khan Younis region, affecting more than 1.5 million people,” WHO said.
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