“Families are fleeing to areas lacking essential supplies & acceptable living conditions.”
Families in Gaza are facing an unprecedented health emergency, the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned.
“Every day, people go through injuries, trauma, scarce hygiene, the spread of infectious diseases, lack of sufficient food & water, and limited access to medicines & healthcare,” UNRWA said on X on Thursday. “This only stops with a Ceasefire Now.”
In its latest Situation Report, UNRWA pointed out that according to UNICEF, there has been a significant reduction in clean water production across the Gaza Strip affecting access to water supply service to around 500,000 people.
This reduction, the agency said, is attributed to “damage to several facilities, including treatment plants, boreholes, and pumping stations, which have been rendered inoperable due to continuous bombardment, shortage of fuel, or inaccessibility for maintenance work.”
Families in #Gaza are facing an unprecedented health emergency.
Every day, people go through injuries, trauma, scarce hygiene, the spread of infectious diseases, lack of sufficient food & water, and limited access to medicines & healthcare.
This only stops with a #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/MSVMFHcZUr
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 30, 2024
Limited Medical Supplies
UNRWA health centres in the last 12 days have not received any medical supplies “due to Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossing closure/disruptions.”
This affects the stock of medicines, mainly general items such as antibiotics for children, the agency said.
“Only 7 (out of 24)” UNRWA health care centers were operational, according to the report.
‘Solution Needed’ – Displaced in Rafah Face Uncollected Garbage and Health Risks
The agency emphasized that “forced displacement and fear are pushing people to seek refuge where they can – but there’s no safety in the Gaza Strip,” adding that “Families are fleeing to areas lacking essential supplies & acceptable living conditions.”
On its X feed, UNRWA shared images of Deir al-Balah where “Everywhere you look there is a pile of trash.” The images show mountains of trash in the midst of residential areas.
In the past three weeks, the agency said, nearly one million Palestinians have fled the southern Gazan town of Rafah, amid the Israeli military’s ongoing incursion into the city.
“This happened with nowhere safe to go & amidst bombardments, lack of food & water, piles of waste & unsuitable living conditions,” UNRWA said. “Day after day, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible.”
In the past 3 weeks around 1 million people have fled #Rafah
This happened with nowhere safe to go & amidst bombardments, lack of food & water, piles of waste & unsuitable living conditions
Day after day, providing assistance & protection becomes nearly impossible#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/CyVE0angws
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) May 28, 2024
Rising Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 36,224 Palestinians have been killed, and 81,777 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
Israel Targets Ambulance, Kills Two Paramedics – New Massacres in Gaza
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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