WHO official qualifies the situation in Southern Gaza as ‘getting worse by the hour’

Photo Courtesy: © 2023 UNRWA Photo by Mohamed Hinnawi, CC BY-SA 4.0

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini meeting with displaced people in southern Gaza on 22 November 2023 during his second visit in the Gaza Strip since the war started on 7 October 2023.

The situation in Gaza is ‘getting worse by the hour’, reports WHO official, Richard Peeperkorn, in light of the relentless bombings by the Israeli military. The increasing intensity of bombing is directed both towards the northern part of Gaza, but also across the evacuation zone boundary, in the southern cities, including Khan Younis and Rafah.

Initially spared from heavy military actions until November 24th, the south now finds itself overpopulated due to the perceived safety presented by Israel’s call to evacuate on October 13th. The promise for the south being a ‘safe zone’ in which citizens can seek refuge amidst the bomb occurrences has undergone a stark reversal, as bombings escalate in these areas.

The contradiction is stressed through the Israeli forces now dropping leaflets stating that Khan Younis is no longer safe and declaring it a ‘dangerous battle zone’, a sharp contrast to prior assurances. This means that there are no safe areas in the whole Gaza strip, as the amplified bombings render the south equally as unsafe as the north.

Due to the Israeli initial military’s order, the southern region is currently attempting to house over almost two million displaced Palestinians. As a result, living conditions are appalling. The basic necessities for survival, such as medical supplies, food, water, are becoming alarmingly scarce. The number of hospitals in Gaza has halved over the past two months, from 36 to 18, due to Israeli attacks, and even the remaining hospitals are struggling to provide services due to limited resources, staff and unclean conditions. Menstrual products are running out, which makes the situation for women more difficult amid the unhygienic conditions that have been imposed upon them.

The barring of Yemen from the World Food Programme has delayed support to the Palestinian people, as Yemen had been demonstrating support for Palestine. This not only deters other nations from offering assistance, but it also demonstrates how agencies like the WFP, who take pride in providing aid to impoverished countries, give in to political pressure and fail to achieve their goals of promoting peace and providing food assistance. The US veto of the UN’s call to ceasefire on December 8th also raises doubts about the genuine intentions and effectiveness of these organisations that claim to promote peace and humanitarian aid but fail to uphold these principles. The strength of one country’s veto against 13 votes for ceasefire significantly questions the core purpose of the UN as it has neglected its fundamental mission to prioritise global peace over individual national interests.

The veto power wielded by a single nation undermines the collective efforts of the UN, exposing a glaring flaw in its structure that allows political agendas to supersede the urgent need for humanitarian action.

As a result, Palestinians are threatened not only by the continuous explosions but also by the cruel and inhumane living conditions forced onto them. This is a direct result of the blockade of aid, decreasing levels of nutrition and hygiene, and increasing the likelihood of death and disease.

The Palestinian population faces a double threat: relentless airstrikes and the imposition of inhumane living standards, intensifying their struggles as the war on Gaza persists.