Geneva, Switzerland
World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said Israel had carried out 41 confirmed attacks on health services in the Gaza Strip since October 7.
In an online interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Jasarevic said that “the health situation in Gaza is extremely worrying,” pointing out that hospitals continue to receive large numbers of patients despite being at full capacity.
Jasarevic reiterated that the situation is very critical and that fuel in the city will soon run out.
“It is almost impossible to comply with Israel’s request to evacuate hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip,” Jasarevic said, emphasizing that there are many patients who are at risk of dying in the event of such an evacuation.
Jasarevic reminded that there are many people with various illnesses who cannot be easily transferred and called on Israel to “retract” its request.
Noting that the failure of humanitarian workers and medical supplies to reach Gaza was a separate issue, the spokesman explained that WHO delivered about 80 tons of medical supplies and medicines for chronic patients at the Rafah border gate.
Jasarevic explained that the WHO and other humanitarian agencies of the United Nations (UN) system had brought these supplies near the Rafah border gate to deliver them to Gaza, noting that the fighting must stop in order to prevent further To avoid loss of human life.
Jasarevic stated that negotiations were continuing at various levels on the provision of assistance to Gaza and indicated that they hoped for safe access to Gaza.
“We are speaking out so strongly because we want everyone to understand how important it is to get these medical supplies to the health workers in Gaza who are doing tremendous work and risking their lives to save the lives of individuals,” he said he.
“Hospitals in southern Gaza are also full and it is difficult for health workers to find themselves in a situation where they have to transfer patients from one hospital to another without knowing where they are going,” he added.
Jasarevic stressed that the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza are at risk and warned: “Even if we manage to bring health supplies to Gaza, this will not solve the problem.” The only solution is to end the conflict, because both Parties are suffering from the conflict that has been going on for ten days.”
The speaker recalled that under international humanitarian law health workers, health centers and patients must be protected and called on all who can play an active role to do everything possible to end the violence between Israel and Palestine.
*Translated by Daniel Gallego.
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