Today's Edition
ABDULLAH ABU DHAIF (CAIRO)
Adnan Abu Hasna, UNRWA spokesperson in the Gaza Strip, commended the field hospital established by the UAE as a vital facility for treating residents of the sector, as UNRWA continuously struggles to provide humanitarian services due to an overwhelming number of refugees.
In his interview with Aletihad, Abu Hasna emphasised the need to replicate the model of the Emirati field hospital, given the significant deterioration of the medical and treatment system within the sector.
The Rafah field hospital has become a haven for thousands in need of surgery and injury treatment, the UNRWA spokesperson added.
Abu Hasna described the situation in Gaza as tragically worsening, with over half of the sector’s population suffering.
The daily aid reaching the sector averages at only 70 trucks, starkly insufficient compared to the required 500 trucks to meet the dire humanitarian needs, including severe shortages in food and drinkable water.
He highlighted the escalating pressures on UNRWA’s shelters, now accommodating double their capacity. These shelters have started housing 30,000 displaced people, marking a significant increase from the intended 3,000.
Hundreds of thousands are registered with UNRWA, either living outside the centres or in makeshift plastic tents across various areas. The influx has led most of Gaza’s residents to relocate to Rafah, near the Egyptian border, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
Abu Hasna said that Rafah City faces structural challenges that make it difficult to accommodate this enormous influx of refugees.
The spread of diseases such as gastrointestinal infections, skin infections, meningitis, hepatitis, and pneumonia underscores the urgent need for interventions to improve living conditions and provide essential healthcare to the affected population, Abu Hasna added.
