The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned that Gaza is enduring a generational health “catastrophe.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, the WHO chief said that the health crisis in Gaza will last for “generations to come,” noting that the situation in the Strip requires a significant surge in aid flows to address the needs of its population.
Although Israel has allowed medical supplies and other forms of aid to enter Gaza, following a ceasefire agreement with Hamas on October 10, Tedros noted that the flow has been below expectations and not sufficient to rebuild the enclave’s healthcare system.
Moreover, he pointed out that the people of Gaza have experienced a “fatal combination” of famine, overwhelming injuries, a collapsed healthcare system, and outbreaks of disease fuelled by the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure.
“On top of that, [there is] restricted access to humanitarian aid. This is a very fatal combination, so that makes [the situation] catastrophic and beyond words,” he said.
“If you take the famine and combine it with a mental health problem which we see is rampant, then the situation is a crisis for generations to come,” the WHO chief added.
The ceasefire deal calls for increasing the amount of aid entering Gaza. However, Israel halted aid deliveries on Sunday and launched airstrikes across Gaza, claiming that Hamas had killed two Israeli soldiers. It then resumed deliveries on Monday under intense international pressure.
In the light of this, Tedros warned against the weaponization of aid, urging Israel not to impose conditions on its delivery. “There should be full access, there should not be any condition, especially after all the living hostages were released, and a good part of the remains are transferred,” he said.
