In Gaza, a harrowing situation is unfolding as newborns face unimaginable challenges amidst the conflict with Israel, leading UN humanitarians to issue a distressing warning. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that nearly 20,000 births have occurred since the commencement of intense Israeli bombardment in response to Hamas-led attacks, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 250 individuals taken hostage.
DELIVERED INTO HELL: THE UNFOLDING TRAGEDY
The dire circumstances in Gaza have created chronic challenges in accessing essential aid, leading to alarming situations such as Caesarean sections performed without anaesthesia and overwhelmed medical staff unable to assist mothers delivering stillborn babies.
UNICEF Communications Specialist Tess Ingram emphasizes the heartbreaking reality mothers face, stating, “Becoming a mother should be a time for celebration. In Gaza, it’s another child delivered into hell.”
HEALTH CRISIS ESCALATES: HEPATITIS A OUTBREAK
Adding to the deep concerns, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expresses alarm over confirmed cases of hepatitis A infections in Gaza. The inhumane living conditions, characterized by a severe lack of clean water and sanitation, raise fears of the rapid spread of disease.
WHO reports reveal alarming statistics, with an average of 500 people sharing one toilet and over 2,000 people relying on a single shower, significantly increasing the risk of disease transmission.
HUMANITARIAN IMPACT: RISING HEALTH ISSUES
The escalating crisis has led to a surge in upper respiratory infections, and cases of diarrhoea among children under the age of five during the last quarter of 2023 were 26 times higher than the same period in the previous year. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic highlights the dire situation: “People are being pushed into ever smaller places; they’re in overcrowded shelters with a lack of access to clean water and toilets.”
IMMEDIATE MEDICAL HELP NEEDED: OVERWHELMED HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
The strained healthcare infrastructure in Gaza is evident, with Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis experiencing a drastic reduction in medical personnel. The emergency department, which had 24 doctors before the conflict, now operates with only two. Intensive care beds have decreased from 45 to 14, and only four nurses are available out of the initial 20.
RELIEF EFFORTS AND URGENT APPEALS
UNICEF has taken steps to assist vulnerable women and children in Gaza by delivering milk formula, supplements for mothers unable to breastfeed, and medical supplies for overstretched healthcare teams. However, the situation demands more comprehensive and immediate international aid.
The heartbreaking reality persists, with approximately 135,000 children under two years old at risk of severe malnutrition in inhumane conditions marked by makeshift shelters, inadequate nutrition, and unsafe water.
HUMAN RIGHTS CRISIS: DEEP CONCERNS AND SOARING CASUALTY NUMBERS
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) expresses deep concern as reports indicate nearly 25,000 people killed, with 70% believed to be women and children. An additional 61,500 have been injured, and thousands more are presumed dead, trapped under rubble.
Despite the urgent need for effective relief missions, Israeli restrictions on critical equipment imports continue to compromise efforts. The OHCHR emphasizes the urgent scaling up of humanitarian aid and protection responses.
PRESSURE COOKER ENVIRONMENT: CHAOS AND FEAR
Describing the situation as a “pressure cooker environment,” the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ajith Sunghay, reports displaced individuals arriving in Rafah in the thousands. The chaos, shortages, and pervasive fear and anger are exacerbated by a telecommunications blackout, adding to confusion and fear among Gazans.
As the conflict persists, the need for immediate humanitarian aid becomes increasingly critical, highlighting a massive human rights crisis and a human-made humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
