The current situation has reached an “unprecedented level of emergency” and Israel’s most recent evacuation order has forced tens of thousands of people to flee, he said.
As part of prevention efforts, WHO and partners have established field hospitals and supported the recovery of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which will be used as the main referral hospital and with the aim of re-establishing health services basic.
He added: “We have built a large warehouse in Deir Al Balah and we have moved the majority of the supplies to ensure rapid access and movement of supplies to Khan Younis, Central Region center and northern Gaza”.
Hospitals are ‘overwhelmed’
There are currently three hospitals operating in Rafah, including the UAE Maternity Hospital, and over the past weeks, WHO has ensured that they are fully prepared and supported with medical supplies .
Dr Dahir said hospitals were “overwhelmed with patients” and recent developments had affected access. He cited the example of Al-Najjar Hospital, which provides dialysis services to more than 100 patients.
“Unfortunately, the hospital is among the areas ordered to evacuate by the Israeli Government, so patients are afraid to seek services,” he said.
“We also learned that many of the patients admitted to this hospital are starting to move out of the hospital.”
He emphasized that WHO always supports the need for hospitals to be protected.
“We have established clear mechanisms for referral pathways between hospitals and in cases where hospital access is not possible, what are the other alternatives? And that is why we support the restoration of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.”
When asked about the situation of pregnant women and newborns, Dr. Dahir noted that the UAE Maternity Hospital is one of the important facilities of its kind across Gaza, welcoming more than 100 newborns every year. month.
“We have ensured that the hospital is full. And in case we lose access, we will be able to refer pregnant mothers, for example, to field hospitals in the Al Mawasi area as well as the Nasser Medical Complex,” he said .
Fuel is running out
Meanwhile, vital fuel for humanitarian operations in Gaza could run out “tomorrow” and some food stocks may only last through the weekend, a senior United Nations aid official said. Nations in the region said on Tuesday.
Andrea de Domenico, head of the United Nations humanitarian affairs office, OCHAin the occupied Palestinian territories, said the closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt had cut off access to fuel, affected the delivery of vital relief goods and restricted movement movement of aid workers.
Speaking from Jerusalem, de Domenico said fuel shortages were a particular concern because humanitarian organizations only had about 30,000 liters of diesel available when they normally use 200,000 liters a day.
Priority is given to health, water and communications, with some fuel set aside for the safe movement of personnel.
“That will essentially leave us without fuel starting tomorrow,” he said.
“The Israelis have given assurances that they are looking to bring in more fuel and they hope to be able to organize this tomorrow. We shall seeHe added, noting that distribution would also be a challenge “if Rafah is captured in the middle of a military operation.”
Communication networks are affected
Mr. de Domenico explained that communications companies cannot receive the daily amount of fuel needed to maintain their networks.
“This means that for the next few days, people will not be able to access information, we will not be able to collect information so that people understand their needs and Families will not be able to connect during relocation if they are separated.”
He reiterated that more than 75% of Gaza’s population has been displaced and “may now have no choice but to stay on an ever-reducing land area.”
Lack of shelter
People are moving to locations without toilets, water points, proper drainage systems or shelters.
“It is impossible to improve the situation in existing and new relocation sites if there are no supplies and fuel to transport them to places where people are gathering,” he said.
Meanwhile, Aid partners working in the shelter sector have only around 1,500 tents. He said the lack of tents combined with the high rate of damaged or destroyed homes in Gaza meant that displaced people leaving Rafah were forced to find other shelter options.
“They need shelter materials such as tarpaulins, ropes, plastic shelters, nails, and those tools are simply not available in Gaza. And without the humanitarian assistance that will bring those people in, we will not be able to support them.”
Food reserves are dwindling
Additionally, most food distribution in the south has been suspended since Monday as many warehouses in the Rafah area were affected by fighting. Furthermore, he estimated that most aid partners may run out of food to support people in southern Wadi Gaza by the end of the week.
Humanitarian is also running out of fuel to send remaining goods for distribution to households and 16 bakeries supported by the World Food Program (WFP).
The struggling health sector will also be affected if military operations continue, as the three remaining hospitals in Rafah will be unable to operate, leaving 1.2 million people without care.
Water and waste management
Mr. de Dominco further warned that “tomorrow without fuel, the main water production plant will shut down in the north, leaving the entire population without access to drinking water.”
The same will apply in the southern and central provinces in the coming days, affecting 1.9 million people.
There is also a “huge problem” with solid waste collection, which is still dependent on fuel supplies, and collection points in the south have been reduced.
“We estimate that about 1,400 tons of waste per day will accumulate on the streets. And this has been a big challenge because we also don’t have a road to the landfill where we can transport and dispose of all the garbage,” he said.
He added that the wastewater pumping station in East Rafah was shut down due to military operations, affecting 80,000 people.
Concerns for unaccompanied children
United Nations agencies on Tuesday emphasized the plight of women and girls as well as children, while Mr. De Domenico also focused on the issue of unaccompanied and separated minors.
He said their numbers “will increase rapidly while our ability to provide basic support to them will be significantly reduced if the situation in Rafah progresses with further military operations.”
