The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Gazans reeling from intensified malnutrition, heat risks
In Gaza, soaring temperatures, hunger and unsanitary conditions present an ever more deadly threat to a population under constant attack, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
Briefing journalists in Geneva, UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jašarević said that according to the enclave’s health authorities, 34 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration, and “in [northern Gaza’s] Kamal Adwan hospital alone, 60 cases of severe acute malnutrition were detected last week”.
“Malnutrition is definitely one of the factors that reduces the immunity, especially of the vulnerable population, elderly and children, who then can’t really cope with any disease, any pathogen that they can get,” he warned, describing a “vicious circle of not having access to enough food, to clean water, to clean sanitation, not having access to basic health services”.
Beyond the direct consequences of the Israeli military’s relentless bombardment and shelling which continued overnight into Tuesday, “everyone in Gaza” is at risk of getting sick and dying for lack of care, Mr. Jašarević said. The situation is particularly dire for pregnant women, people living with chronic diseases such as cancer or diabetes, injured people who are not treated on time and children threatened by waterborne diseases.
The WHO spokesperson reiterated the agency’s appeal for the opening of all border crossings into the enclave, in order to enable desperately needed medical evacuations. “More than 10,000 people need to receive specialized medical care outside of Gaza. These people cannot wait,” he insisted.
The flow of medical relief is also at a standstill and the UN health agency said that none of its trucks passed last week into Gaza.
Asked about the current state of health facilities in the Strip, Mr. Jašarević said that hospitals were being either evacuated or destroyed by bombing, with no possibility of rebuilding as hostilities continue. According to an update from the UN’s humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA on Monday, patients and medical staff evacuated three hospitals in southern Gaza in just one week, “in fear of intensified military activities that could render the health facilities non-functional or inaccessible”.
Mr. Jašarević paid tribute to the dedication of health workers who afterwards return to the facilities once they feel secure enough, to try and get vital services running again. Out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, 13 are “partially functioning”, he said.
The UN health agency reported that the total capacity at the six partially functional hospitals in southern Gaza, including three in Deir al Balah and three in Khan Younis, now stands at only 1,334 beds. Out of 11 field hospitals in the Gaza Strip, three had to temporarily shut down and four are only partially functioning, “due to the hostilities in Rafah and reduced access”, WHO said.
Regarding the hospital infrastructure, “the level of destruction is such that it is difficult to even imagine how much time will it take [to rebuild] once the war is over,” Mr. Jašarević stressed.
- - Ends -
STORY: Gaza health update - WHO
TRT: 2:03”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / FRENCH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 09 JULY 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior wide shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley.
2. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; journalists in the Press room.
3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “According to the Ministry of Health, 34 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration so far. In Kamal Adwan hospital alone, 60 cases of severe acute malnutrition were detected last week.”
4. Wide lateral shot: Journalists and speaker on screens in the Press room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “Malnutrition is definitely one of the factors that reduces the immunity, especially of the vulnerable population, elderly and children, who then can’t really cope with any disease, any pathogen that they can get. So it’s really, it’s a vicious circle of not having access to enough food, to clean water, to clean sanitation, not having access to basic health services.”
6. Wide lateral shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screen.
7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “We keep appealing for opening of all crossings into Gaza. More than 10,000 people need to receive specialized medical care outside of Gaza. These people cannot wait.”
8. Medium shot: Wide lateral shot: speaker at podium from rear; speaker on screens; journalists in the Press room.
9. SOUNDBITE (French) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “Ce qu’ils font, les travailleurs de santé, les médecins à Gaza, c’est de revenir quand ils se sentent en sécurité, ils reviennent sur les lieux et ils essaient de redémarrer certains services. Donc maintenant, de 36 hôpitaux à Gaza il n’y a que 13 qui fonctionnent de manière partielle.”
10. Wide shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screens.
11. SOUNDBITE (French) – Tarik Jašarević, spokesperson, UN World Health Organization (WHO): “Pour ce qui est de l’infrastructure, ça c’est vraiment très difficile, parce que le niveau de destruction est tel qu’il est difficile même d’imaginer combien de temps cela va prendre une fois la guerre [est] finie.”
12. Close shots: Journalists in the Press room.
13. Wide shot: Cameraperson and technicians' booths in the Press room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Syria: Tragedy ‘at every step’ as millions of children face landmine threat – UNICEF
In Syria, landmines and other explosives left over from years of conflict present an ever more lethal threat to children, accounting for over 100 child deaths and injuries last month alone, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , WHO
LA wildfires: Climate change made the disaster worse says WMO
The powerful dry winds and tinderbox conditions that have been fuelling the continuing Los Angeles wildfire tragedy have been made worse by climate change, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Wednesday updated the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Ukraine, outlining the findings of OHCHR’s latest periodic report covering 1st September to 30th November 2024.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“We are deeply troubled by the marked increase in executions in Iran last year. At least 901 people were reportedly executed in 2024, including some 40 in one week alone in December. At least 853 people were executed in 2023,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Avian flu risk still ‘low’ after first US patient dies – WHO
A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that the risk to the general population remains “low”.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OSE , ICRC , UNHCR
Syria: UN and partners urge action to preserve evidence of prison atrocities, stabilize country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria five days ago, hundreds of people have rushed to Saydnaya prison, desperate to find loved ones. Disturbing images from the prison and other detention centers have since surfaced, exposing the “unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured for years,” said Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the UN special envoy for Syria, on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: “Sickening normalisation” of suffering, amid attacks on people and aid convoys
Ongoing military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza continue to devastate Palestinian children and families, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population.
“Local media reporting here that last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes” said a senior emergency officer with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, speaking to reporters in Geneva from central Gaza.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR
Syria: needs continue to grow amid highly uncertain situation, say aid teams
The historic power shift in Syria and the still volatile situation two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have increased humanitarian needs in a country where nearly 17 million people, including millions of internally displaced, already depended on humanitarian aid before the recent events, UN aid teams said on Tuesday.