WHO Warns: Disease Could Claim More Lives than Bombs in Gaza

In the war-torn Gaza Strip, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire warning that more lives could be lost to disease than to bombings if the crippled health and sanitation systems are not urgently repaired.

Since Israel launched strikes on Gaza on October 7, critical infrastructure has suffered from fuel and supply shortages, as well as targeted attacks on hospitals and United Nations facilities.

Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson, emphasized the gravity of the situation during a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, November 28.

She expressed deep concern about the collapse of al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, describing it as a “tragedy.” Harris also highlighted the detention of medical staff by Israeli forces who took over the complex earlier in the month.

The WHO has been particularly alarmed by the rise in infectious diseases, notably diarrhoea, in Gaza. A United Nations report on the living conditions of displaced residents in northern Gaza revealed a lack of medicines, vaccination activities, access to safe water and hygiene, and a shortage of food.

According to the WHO, all key sanitation services have ceased operating in Gaza, heightening the risk of gastrointestinal and infectious diseases, including cholera.

While the organization has reported more than 44,000 cases of diarrhoea and 70,000 acute respiratory infections, the actual numbers may be significantly higher.

James Elder, a spokesperson from the UN children’s agency in Gaza, highlighted the dire situation in hospitals, where children are suffering from war wounds and gastroenteritis due to contaminated water. The lack of access to safe water is crippling the health of these vulnerable populations.

Despite a temporary truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health reported that no fuel had arrived for generators at hospitals in the territory’s north. Gaza City Mayor Yahya al-Siraj warned of a potential public health “catastrophe” if fuel is not provided soon, as the territory cannot pump clean water or clear waste accumulating in the streets.

The toll of Israeli Airforce attacks on Gaza is staggering, with more than 14,800 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, reported dead by health authorities in the enclave.

The international community faces a race against time to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza before disease claims more lives than the ongoing conflict.