WHO: “extremely concerned” about possible large-scale operation against Gaza

World Health Organization (WHO) declared this Friday “extremely concerned” about Israeli plans to intervene militarily on a large scale in Rafah, in the extreme south of the Gaza Stripwhere 1.2 million Palestinians are crowded together, many having fled months of hostilities further north.

Such an operation “would worsen the humanitarian catastrophe,” the WHO representative in the Palestinian Territories, Rik Peeperkorn, said at a press conference.

“A new wave of displacement will bring more overcrowding, reduced access to basic goods such as food, drinking water and health services, and will increase outbreaks of infectious diseases,” added the expert.

He also highlighted that the WHO and its partners are making contingency plans to guarantee that the health system is prepared for a military operation, although he recalled that in many cases, as has happened in areas further north in Gaza, many hospitals are no longer accessible or are even directly targeted. of armed attacks.

As part of its preparations for a possible large-scale operation, the WHO has established a new field hospital in Rafah, and a storage area for medical supplies.

“Despite the measures we take, the health system, already weakened, will not be able to withstand the enormous devastation that the incursion would possibly cause,” he assured.

Peeperkorn expressed fear that Rafah’s three hospitals would lose the capacity to care for patients in the event of a large-scale operation.

He concluded by pointing out that the health system of Loop “it is barely surviving,” with only 12 of the 36 hospitals in the strip and 22 of the 88 health facilities partially functioning.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahureiterated this Thursday that the invasion of Rafah, a city bordering Egypt and converted into the last refuge of the Palestinians, continues, despite the parallel negotiations with Hamas on a possible ceasefire.