On the 93rd day of the conflict in Gaza, as there were continuous and intense Israeli airstrikes, UN humanitarian officials released updated information on "significant casualties, especially among women and children." They urgently appealed for medical teams, facing overwhelming challenges, to be permitted to carry on with their vital life-saving efforts.
In central Gaza, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned on Sunday that medical professionals at the sole operational hospital in Deir al Balah governorate "had to halt life-saving and essential activities...and depart" following an evacuation directive amid escalating Israeli military operations.
Allegedly, just five doctors are currently present at Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central region of Gaza. A WHO team provided medical supplies to aid 4,500 dialysis patients for a duration of three months, along with support for 500 patients in need of trauma care.
Almost 600 healthcare facilities in Gaza and the West Bank have reportedly been targeted since the beginning of the conflict
Health Emergency Officer Sean Casey from WHO shared a video on X social media platform on Sunday evening, depicting tumultuous scenes at Al-Aqsa. Medics were shown treating patients on the blood-streaked floor, with "hundreds" being brought in for urgent treatment.
In a distinct emergency update verifying "intense" Israeli airstrikes "across (central) Deir Al Balah governorate and the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah," OCHA stated on Sunday evening that Israeli forces targeted locations in Gaza City, Jabaliya Camp, Tal Az Za’atar, and Beit Lahiya, resulting in "a very large number of fatalities" in the Al Fallouja area of Jabaliya Camp.
In the midst of continuing deadly violence, UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, approximated that there are currently around 3,200 new cases of diarrhea daily among children under the age of five. Prior to the escalation in hostilities, the average was 2,000 per month.
The newly appointed Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza officially commenced her role on Monday. Sigrid Kaag will oversee, monitor, and verify the delivery of relief shipments to the distressed enclave, aligning with the Security Council resolution 2720 passed last month.
Having held various senior humanitarian positions within the UN, Ms. Kaag most recently served as the finance minister in the previous administration of the Netherlands.
Her challenging responsibilities include establishing a mechanism to expedite aid into Gaza through States not involved in the conflict. Although she began her first day meeting the UN Secretary-General in New York, she is scheduled to travel to Washington DC later in the week before heading to the Middle East.
