Situation in Gaza ‘getting worse by the hour’ – WHO

Israeli bombardment has escalated in the southern region of the Palestinian enclave, surrounding the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, according to a World Health Organization representative who was present in Gaza on Tuesday. The source stated that the situation was becoming worse by the hour.

“The situation is getting worse by the hour,” Richard Peeperkorn, a representative of the World Health Organization in Gaza, warned reporters over a video link. “There’s intensified bombing going on all around, including here in the southern areas, in Khan Younis, and even in Rafah.”

In his statement, Peeperkorn stated that the amount of humanitarian aid that was reaching Gaza was “way too little.” He also stated that the World Health Organization was very concerned about the fragility of the health system in the densely populated enclave as more people traveled further south to escape the bombardment.

He stated, “We will witness the same pattern of what happened in the north,” referring to a region of northern Gaza that was brutally attacked and virtually cut off from humanitarian supplies. “We will witness the same pattern of what they did in the north.”

“That was not going to happen… To make this argument more obvious, I want to emphasize that we are currently facing an escalating humanitarian catastrophe.

According to Thomas White, Director of Affairs at the United Nations Palestinian Agency in Gaza, a population amounting to more than 600,000 people had been instructed to relocate to avoid being bombarded.

“Rafah that normally has a population of 280K and already hosting around 470K IDP (internally displaced people) will not cope with a doubling of its IDP population,” White said on the platform X for social media.

James Elder, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stated that the sections of Gaza that Israel has labeled as safe did not even come close to satisfying basic needs. He also warned that the lack of cleanliness and shelter in Gaza had created a “perfect storm” for the spread of illness.

“It is a safe zone when you can guarantee the conditions of food, water, medicine, and shelter,” he told reporters via video connection from Cairo after visiting Gaza. “It is a safe zone.”

It has been brought to my attention that they are completely and utterly lacking… These are teeny-tiny swaths of lifeless terrain or the corners of streets. Streets are what they are. They are structures that are only partially constructed. One cannot find any water.

He continued by saying, “The only thing that is going to save the children of Gaza right now is a ceasefire,” and he referred to the Israeli approach to the creation of these zones as “callous and cold.”

An Israeli order to remove goods from warehouses in Khan Younis was carried out, according to Peeperkorn, who is a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO). He said the World Health Organization had been informed that the region would “most likely become an area of active combat in the coming days.”

“We want to make sure that we can deliver essential medical supplies,” the president added.

On Monday, the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, requested Israel to revoke the decision. Israel disputed that they had requested the evacuation of warehouses.