As the fight between Israel and Hamas rages on, the people of Gaza have been caught in the crossfire, putting them in a difficult situation. The United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has just revealed that about 40% of hospitals and 71% of primary care facilities located in the Gaza Strip are no longer functioning due to damage and or lack of fuel.
This is putting an immense strain on those living in Gaza, especially those who are internally displaced.
On Sunday, November 5, four hospitals located near each other were struck by bombs, leading to the death of eight people and causing extensive damage to buildings. OCHA also reported that out of 102 attacks on health facilities recorded by World Health Organization (WHO), 83 occurred in the Gaza and North Gaza governates alone.
This means that not only are there fewer medical resources available for those suffering due to war-related injuries but many healthcare centers are too badly damaged for use at all.
The way forward is clear:
Humanitarian ceasefire.
Respect for int'l humanitarian law.Unconditional release of hostages.
Protection of civilians, hospitals, UN facilities, shelters & schools.
Ending use of civilians as human shields.
More humanitarian aid entering Gaza.NOW. pic.twitter.com/pgYxCCf2C9
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) November 7, 2023
With a growing number of internally displaced people looking for refuge in places such as churches, public buildings, schools, etc., overcrowding has become an extreme concern along with worsening sanitary conditions. The Khan Younis Training Center currently houses 22 thousand refugees each with less than 2 square meters worth of space allotted per person – far from ideal living conditions.
With only 600 people sharing one toilet it’s no wonder why sanitary conditions have deteriorated so quickly here as well as across other shelters throughout Gaza.
This news comes as the United Nations Security Council has still yet to reach a resolution on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Fox News reported:
“Council member nations discussed proposed resolutions for over two hours on Monday, but the body remains unable to agree on a resolution.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday that he was urging a cease-fire in Gaza to end the “spiral of escalation” between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas militants.
The conflict began on Oct. 7 after Hamas launched a successful terror attack that killed over 1,400 Israeli civilians and took hundreds of hostages.
The Security Council has been unable to agree on the appropriateness of “humanitarian cease-fires” and “humanitarian pauses” requested by some council members to de-escalate the ongoing ground invasion by Israel.
“We talked about humanitarian pauses, and we’re interested in pursuing language on that score,” said U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood following the meeting.
He added, “But there are disagreements within the council about whether that’s acceptable.””
