OFFICIALS from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed on Friday (4/10) that more than six percent (6%) of Gaza’s entire population had been killed or injured as almost a year of brutal Israeli military attacks devastated the Palestinian territory.
“It’s been 12 months and the conflict in Gaza continues to rage. More than 6% of the population has been killed or injured and at least 10,000 people are still trapped under the rubble,” Ayadil Saparbekov, head of WHO’s health emergency team in the occupied Palestinian territories, said at a press conference in Geneva.
Gaza’s population before the war was around 2.3 million. The health system in Gaza has been significantly crippled by repeated attacks, as well as shortages of supplies, medicine, fuel and medical personnel.
He also mentioned that at least 516 attacks on health facilities in Gaza resulted in 765 deaths since October 7 2023. Only half of the hospitals in Gaza are partially operational. Only 43% of primary health centers are functional.
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“Hospitals that are still operating provide a bed capacity of around 1,500 plus more than 650 beds in 10 operational field hospitals,” he said. He emphasized that this figure is far from enough to meet needs.
Referring to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, he said that around 1,000 health workers had died, an irreplaceable loss and a major blow to the health system.
Saparbekov also stated that at least 24,090 people suffered life-changing injuries, without access to rehabilitation or specialized care.
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Regarding mental health, he expressed concern about the impact of the conflict in Gaza. More than 485,000 people had been diagnosed with mental disorders even before the war.
“Malnutrition is another big problem,” he added. He noted that 20,241 children had been treated for malnutrition, including 4,437 with severe acute malnutrition, since January.
More than 96% of women and children aged 6-23 months do not get adequate nutrition due to a lack of dietary diversity.
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Regarding medical evacuation, he said that of the 15,600 cases requested, only 5,138 (32.9%) were approved. “We urge the establishment of several medical evacuation corridors to ensure safe, organized and timely passage of patients through all available routes,” he said. Since the closure of the Rafah border in May, only 219 patients have been successfully evacuated.
He also mentioned WHO’s commitment to operating in Gaza amidst extreme challenges. Of the 214 missions planned since October 2023, only 44% can be facilitated.
“We have delivered fuel, medicine and supplies, helped restore hospitals, and deployed emergency medical teams to support Gaza’s health system,” he said. “Together with partners, we have also vaccinated 560,000 children in the first round of the polio campaign.”
On October 7, 2023, Israel launched an offensive against the Gaza Strip following cross-border attacks by Hamas that killed just under 1,200 people. In the year since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 41,800 people, most of them women and children, and injured nearly 97,000 others, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli offensive has turned almost the entire population of Gaza into refugees amid the ongoing blockade. This causes severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice regarding its actions in Gaza. (Ant/Z-2)
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