Today's Edition
Abdullah Abu Daif (Gaza, Cairo) - The United Nations (UN) has warned that at least 1.7 million internally displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are facing a significant risk of widespread infectious diseases.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that nearly 80% of Gaza’s population has become internally displaced, with approximately 896,000 displaced people living in 99 facilities in the central and southern parts of the sector.
The statement noted that there had been a noticeable increase in the occurrence of certain diseases, such as diarrhoea, severe respiratory infections, skin inflammation, and hygiene-related issues like lice, due to overcrowding and poor health conditions in UN shelters.
OCHA added that due to the limited space inside the shelters in the south, most displaced men and older boys are forced to stay outside, in schoolyards, or in the streets, next to the external walls of the shelters. Reports indicate that approximately 400 Palestinians moved on Friday from Gaza City and its northern areas to the south via an evacuation corridor created by the Israeli army along Salah al-Din Road, the main traffic artery between the north and south.
The statement explained that hunger is the main reason for this mass displacement, as residents of northern Gaza have not received any food aid for weeks.
Concerns about the spread of diseases in the Gaza Strip are increasing, especially with the approaching winter season.
The number of displaced people moving to shelters within Gaza is expected to increase, making them more vulnerable to diseases, particularly with the disruption of routine vaccinations.
Salem Awais, the regional UNICEF spokesperson, told Aletihad that the humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip enabled the entry of more aid, noting that UNICEF’s teams are tirelessly working to make the most of the truce. He added: “While the truce provides an opportunity to bring in aid and gives children, civilians, and relief organisations a chance to rest, it remains insufficient, and urgent action and pressure are needed to enforce a permanent ceasefire and deliver more aid to the whole area.”
Awais pointed out that “the Gaza Strip needs more humanitarian aid, even with the increased amounts allowed by the truce”, adding that the aid should be continuous and unrestricted. The spokesperson called on all countries to increase humanitarian aid in the coming period and work on establishing field hospitals to assist the injured and prevent an increase in the number of deaths.
Furthermore, Munir Al-Bursh, the Director-General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, said on Sunday that only three hospitals are operating in the northern sector, namely Al-Maamadani, Al Awda, and Kamal Adwan, warning of their collapse due to lack of resources.
Al-Bursh added that “the quantities of medical aid and fuel that have reached the Gaza Strip, especially the northern areas, are very limited, given the catastrophic health situation of the hospitals”. He continued: “Medicines and medical supplies must be delivered to Gaza in large quantities, taking into account the catastrophic health situation in the sector.”
Al-Bursh emphasised the need to strengthen the Gazan health system, especially in the northern areas, and provide adequate health services. He warned that the northern hospitals operating in the northern sector - Al-Maamadani, Al Awda, and Kamal Adwan - are at risk of collapse as they operate with limited capabilities.
He described the general health situation in the sector as “extremely catastrophic and lacking the necessary health components”. On November 23, the Government Media Office in Gaza said that 26 hospitals have gone out of service since October 7, along with 55 health centres, while dozens of ambulances went out of service due to fuel shortages.
