WHO: ‘Gaza children are dying of hunger’

GAZA, June 01 (YPA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that hunger and famine in the Gaza Strip have reached extremely dangerous levels.

The WHO’s Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy said, in an interview with Anadolu Agency during the organization’s 78th General Assembly in Geneva, that children are dying from hunger and lack of medicine, amid a near-total collapse of the health sector due to the ongoing Israeli blockade for more than 18 years.

“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic,”Balkhy added. “there are deaths among children and adults due to hunger and lack of medicine.”

He added that the occupation is seeking to push 2.4 million Palestinians toward famine by closing the land crossings for more than 90 days and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid, especially food.

“41 to 42 percent of essential medicines and vaccines have run out, and almost 64 percent of medical equipment are completely missing,” Balkhy stated. “The medical personnel are steadfast despite the lack of resources.”

He stressed that the health environment in Gaza is extremely difficult, with residents suffering from a lack of hygiene and the spread of diseases such as skin rashes, multiple infections, pneumonia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

On Friday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, asserting that the occupation is preventing the entry of most humanitarian aid, including ready-to-eat food, and describing the situation there as the hungriest place on earth.

AA