The Terrain: A Worsening Humanitarian and Health Catastrophe
As of October 7, 2023, the region of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory is consumed by an avalanche of violence which is rapidly expanding, causing large-scale displacement and an escalating humanitarian disaster. The sustained fighting is responsible for the untimely death of thousands of civilians and many others are injured, homeless, or in a desperate need of humanitarian needs. It is a volatile situation with broader implications for the region’s health infrastructure, public order and international security.
A Humanitarian Catastrophe in the Making in Gaza
The Gaza Strip, which has already been reeling for years under a blockade and creaking under the weight of the lack of resources, has been hit especially hard. Fierce air strikes and continued fighting have destroyed many of what were already poor resources. The very hospitals and medical facilities that were already short of resources before the conflict are now overwhelmed beyond the breaking point.
Doctors are scrambling to deliver care as shortages of electricity, fuel, clean water and basic medical equipment persist. At many institutions, it is a struggle to obtain even basic equipment, and hospitals have been forced to curtail essential services altogether. The health system is strained in part because of the influx of the wounded from the war, but also as masses of displaced civilians seek shelter in these facilities.
Maternal and neonatal care, dialysis and the outpatient care of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease have been severely disrupted. For many civilians, the absence of accessible health care has itself become as deadly as the conflict.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza have been displaced, staying in packed shelters, schools or makeshift tents, humanitarian sources say. These have sparked fears over the spread of contagious diseases, with little clean water and sanitation meaning diarrhea, respiratory infections and skin disease are in danger of outbreaks.
In addition to the humanitarian situation, about 100 people are still being held captive in Gaza - both Israeli and foreign citizens, news reports say. There have been ongoing attempts to negotiate a release of the hostages, but with limited success. The arbitrary detention of civilians is a violation of international humanitarian law, and has been the object of widespread international concern.
It's not only between Gaza and Israel. Tensions have also spiked along the Israel-Lebanon border, that of cross-border violence on the rise on a daily basis. In southern Lebanon, airstrikes and shelling have killed increasing numbers. Hospitals and emergency services are once more overwhelmed, with no room for the increasing casualties.
The spillover is poised to compound instability in the region as more actors get involved and the potential for a wider regional conflict rises.
Among the most terrifying attacks - on purpose or as collateral damage - in the ongoing destabilisation is healthcare. Hospitals, ambulances and clinics have been bombed or caught in crossfire, reports said. Health workers, patients and first responders have been killed and injured in the line of duty.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has verified numerous such events in the Israeli, occupied Palestinian and Lebanese territories. Such attacks not only contravene international laws that protect medical neutrality during times of armed conflict, but risk destabilizing entire health systems when they are most critical.
“The World Health Organization has been working hard to coordinate with the humanitarian community, to get life-saving medical supplies to where they are most needed, to strengthen fragile health services and to deploy emergency medical teams when and where they are required,” he says. The WHO also is closely tracking disease outbreaks and has mobilized resources to stave off a secondary public health disaster in the wake of the violence.
WHO and other humanitarian partners have consistently appealed to all contralateral parties to the conflict to uphold international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians, health workers and health facilities.
An Appeal for Peace and Protection
As the crisis unfolds, the human cost accumulates daily. At the core of this tragedy are the victims, levantine civilians of all nationalities, religions and political persuasions. The World Health Organization, among other international body, has called for an immediate de-escalation and safe corridors that would enable humanitarian assistance, medical evacuation and the delivery of essential services.
"Finally, WHO is alarmed at how the violence has led to the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including health facilities." “WHO is calling for peace in all affected areas and for civilians and civilian infrastructure to be protected,”."WHO is calling for peace and finds it unbelievable that sick people and health workers have been attacked since the conflict began just over a month ago." WHO has also called for the need for dialogue, restraint, and compassion to be at the centre of decision-making. Unless the fighting ends, this vicious cycle of devastation will persist, endangering the lives of millions and jeopardizing the prospects for future generations.
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