Overcrowding, unsanitary bathrooms, cases of diarrhea and hospitals under fire: “The situation in Gaza has gone from catastrophic to the brink of collapse”

The word “catastrophe” to describe Gaza has been used so many times in 104 days of war that it has lost the force of its meaning. With between 24,000 and 27,000 Palestinians dead since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, those who can still speak from the Strip find no other way: “The situation is catastrophic” says a doctor from a packed hospital. The United Nations, however, managed to go further and affirm this, this Thursday “The situation has gone from being catastrophic to being on the verge of collapse.”

On Tuesday, during a visit to Nasser Hospital (which is currently the largest operational health center in Gaza), the head of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) mission in Palestine, Leo Cans, said that Nasser It was running at 300% capacity.: “The situation is catastrophic. There are too many patients for staff.”

According to a surgeon, on the night between Monday and Tuesday, Israeli forces heavily shelled the area near the hospital. without prior evacuation ordercausing the panicked flight of patients and many of the thousands of displaced civilians who had taken refuge in Nasser.

“The fighting is very close to us. We hear a lot of shelling and shooting,” Cans said during his visit to the hospital. “Yesterday (Monday) there was an air attack 150 meters from the hospital entrance killed eight people and injured more than 80“.

At Nasser Hospital, MSF provides emergency care and surgical treatments to patients, including those suffering from traumatic injuries and severe burns. But since December, activities have slowed considerably due to intense bombing around the center.

MSF urges the protection of its staff and patients.

“We ask that all medical facilities be protected and that the access and provision of healthcare to both civilians and humanitarian workers is not impeded,” they said in a statement to which Clarín had access.

United Nations: “On the brink of collapse”

Several United Nations representatives describe a situation of extreme need for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, with 1.9 million displaced peoplefood shortages and sick children.

“Since my last visit, the situation has gone from being catastrophic to being on the verge of collapse,” he said in a statement this Thursday. Ted Chaiban, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF after a three-day visit to the Palestinian enclave.

Chaiban said there are more than 1.9 million displaced people, or close to it corresponds to 85% of the population from Gaza and said that many are trying to find refuge in Rafah (southern area of ​​the border with Egypt), where Countless makeshift plastic tents crammed together which can accommodate up to 20 people.

“It is difficult to understand the huge mass of civilians at the border the inhuman conditions in which they live. “Water is scarce and poor sanitation is inevitable,” Chaiban said.

According to data shared by the organization, in the last two months cases of diarrhea increased by 40% compared to before the escalation of hostilities. But in mid-December a growth of 4,000% was achieved, with 71,000 cases registered. among children under five years old.

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) has described how one of its schools in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah has become a refuge for many displaced people.

“He The overcrowding was claustrophobic and the filth surprising. I have heard stories of women who prefer not to eat or drink water to avoid having to use unhygienic toilets,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA, who also reported, said in a statement. “the prolonged and repeated telecommunications blackouts.”

Seventh day without internet or communications

This Thursday, the Gaza Strip suffers the seventh consecutive day of telephone and internet outages, which Gaza authorities say could increase the death toll as emergency health services have no means of communication and be able to help the wounded.

The total number of deaths due to the blackout of communication networks is not known, but to date there have been 24,450 dead and over 61,500 injured since the start of the conflict on 7 October; 70% of them children and women

Israel blows up Al Israel University

Among its latest operations, the Israeli army blew up the main building of Gaza’s Al Israa University, which was destroyed, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Amid the general devastation after 104 days of Israeli offensive, which led to the destruction of most of the university infrastructure in the Strip, Israeli forces used explosives to demolish the building, in the south of Gaza City, which housed the University university studies, faculties and a national museum.

In turn, as cited by Wafa, Al Israa University denounced in a statement that the soldiers “looted” the museum, where there was a voluminous exhibition “which included some 3,000 rare artifacts”.

EFE consulted an Israeli army spokesperson on the matter but has not yet received a response.