The World Health Organisation (WHO) urged Friday an immediate reversal of the Israeli evacuation order from northern Gaza to protect lives and alleviate suffering. The organisation stated that it joins the UN in calling on Israel to immediately cancel its orders to evacuate more than a million people living north of Gaza. The WHO statement notes that a mass evacuation would be disastrous for patients, health workers and civilians. With continued air strikes and closed borders, the organisation noted that civilians have nowhere safe to go, and nearly half of Gaza’s population is under the age of 18. With dwindling supplies of safe food, clean water and health services, and without proper shelter, children and adults, Including the elderly, are at increased risk of disease, the statement warns. The statement notes that the Palestinian Ministry of Health informed the WHO that it is impossible to evacuate vulnerable patients in hospitals without endangering their lives. Vulnerable patients include those who have been seriously injured or rely on life support. The statement explained that the two Ministry of Health hospitals in northern Gaza, which are still operating, have greatly exceeded their combined capacity of 760 beds with severe overcrowding. Among the thousands of patients with injuries and other conditions receiving care in hospitals, there are hundreds of seriously injured people and more than 100 people who need critical care. The statement noted that the compressed time frame, complex transport logistics, damaged roads, and most importantly, the lack of supportive care during transport, are factors that increase the difficulty of transporting sick and injured people. The lack of medical supplies is putting patients at risk and hindering health workers, and most of the supplies previously stored by the World Health Organisation in Gaza have been consumed, according to the statement.
Source: Jordan News Agency