WHO Warns Health Disasters Could Happen In Gaza

A child and his father were in the rubble of buildings as a result of an Israeli attack on Gaza. (Wikimedia Commons/Palestinian News & Information Agency (Wafa) in contact with APAimages)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) said public health disasters could occur in Gaza, due to excessive density, mass evacuation and infrastructure damage.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier warned civilians who were not directly linked to Israeli bombings also had a risk of death.

"This is a public health disaster that will occur, along with mass displacements, population density, water and sanitation infrastructure damage," Lindmeier told reporters.

When asked if people died of complications other than the bombing, Lindmeier said: "Yes, that's true."

Meanwhile, UNICEF spokesman James Elder warned of the risk of infant mortality from dehydration, with water outages only 5 percent of normal levels.

"So, the death of children from dehydration, especially infant mortality due to dehydration, is an increasingly big threat," he said, adding children became sick from drinking salt water.

Further said, about 940 children were reported missing in Gaza, with some of them estimated to be trapped under the rubble.

Others are suffering from trauma or severe stress, he said, such as the daughter of a 4-year-old UNICEF staff, where he began to injure himself by grabbing his hair and sweeping his thigh to blood.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Humanitarian Office said in a statement Tuesday morning that water supplies to southern Gaza were halted on Monday "for unknown reasons."

Lindmeier also called for fuel to be allowed into Gaza so that desalination factories can operate.

Israel has blockaded the total Gaza Strip, rejecting fuel supplies entering the region, saying it would be taken by Hamas for military purposes.

As of Tuesday, the death toll from the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip has reached 8,525 people, the Health Ministry in Gaza said, quoted by Anadolu.

"The victims included 3,542 children and 2,187 women, while 21,543 others were injured," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.

Furthermore, he said the ministry had received reports that some 2,000 people were still trapped under the rubble, including 1,100 children.

Al-Qudra added 130 medics were killed and 25 ambulances destroyed in Israeli airstrikes since October 7.

"The occupation forces deliberately targeted 57 health facilities, forcing 15 hospitals and 32 primary care centers to not work," he added.