World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday that there is nowhere safe in Gaza.
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"Half of the Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals and two-thirds of its primary care centers are not functioning at all. Those that are functioning do so far beyond their capacities," Tedros said at a session on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The situation on the ground is grim, said the WHO chief, from hospitals conducting operations without anesthesia to the fact that a child is killed every ten minutes.
While denouncing that the Palestinian enclave's healthcare system is "on its knees," he said that medical personnel are struggling to try to manage the health needs of 2.3 million people.
1.5 million Palestinians have been displaced and are seeking refuge anywhere they can find, but in Gaza " nowher and no one is safe," Tedros said.
However, in the midst of the catastrophic situation, "in some ways medical personnel are still providing life-saving care," Tedros said.
The WHO Director-General said the best way to show support is to provide what health workers need to save lives. Some 63 metric tons of such aid has been sent, but unrestricted access is needed to reach civilians who are not responsible for the crisis.
Tedros added that WHO continues to call for a ceasefire and urged both sides to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
"Imagine that you're trapped in that situation," he asked ambassadors and said "that's why we're asking for a ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access."
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Oct. 27, calling for an immediate, sustained humanitarian truce leading to the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.