LONDON: The health “catastrophe” in Gaza will last for “generations to come,” the World Health Organization’s chief has told the BBC Radio 4 “Today” program.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for a substantial surge in aid to the enclave in order to meet the needs of Palestinians.
Despite Israel allowing more medical aid and other supplies following the ceasefire with Hamas on Oct. 10, levels remain lower than needed to rebuild Gaza’s health system, he said.
The US, which brokered the ceasefire, has said the first phase of the plan should see the unlimited distribution of supplies “without interference.”
Yet the increase in aid has been smaller than anticipated, Ghebreyesus said, adding that Palestinians in Gaza have experienced famine, “overwhelming” injuries, the collapse of their healthcare system and disease outbreaks compounded by the destruction of 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.”
Ghebreyesus called on Israel to “de-link” the supply of aid from the wider conflict, after it temporarily halted humanitarian deliveries following the killing of two soldiers on Sunday.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed that its personnel were killed in an ambush by Hamas, but the Palestinian group said it was unaware of the clashes. Substantial international pressure led to Israel reinstating aid deliveries the following day.
“There should be full access (for aid), there should not be any condition, especially after all the living hostages were released, and a good part of the remains are transferred. I did not expect there would be additional restrictions,” said Ghebreyesus, adding that “since the US has brokered the peace deal it has the responsibility of making sure that all sides are respecting” it.
Israel must also allow in aid groups that were previously denied entry to Gaza, he said, condemning the blocking of certain health supplies into the enclave after it claimed that they could have dual-use capabilities.
“If you are going to build a field hospital, you need the canvas and the pillars (for tents). So, if the pillars are removed, because of an excuse that they could be dual-use, then you can’t have a tent,” he said.
Ghebreyesus called for a ramping up of medical flights from Gaza, after 700 people died while waiting to be evacuated.
The UN’s official estimate of the cost to reconstruct Gaza after two years of war stands at $70 billion.
About 10 percent of that must be spent on rehabilitating the enclave’s damaged health system, Ghebreyesus said.
“We have been saying for a long time that peace is the best medicine. The ceasefire we have is a very fragile one and some people have died even after the ceasefire because it was broken a couple of times,” he added.
“What is very sad is many people were cheering in the streets because they were very happy there was a peace deal. Imagine, (some of) those same people are dead after they were told the war is over.”
