|
 WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva briefing that around 600
patients, including some with chronic conditions, needed to be
referred outside of the Palestinian enclave since the start of the
hostilities, but had been unable to due to crossing closures.
"It's very important that we help Palestinians get the care they
need, especially helping them get treatment outside the Gaza strip,"
she said.
WHO has a presence on the ground, Chaib said, but was unable to
confirm whether it currently had any access from the outside. Other
aid agencies have complained about limited humanitarian access and
drug supplies.
Dozens of health centres were damaged during Israeli bombings
earlier this month, prompting the WHO to warn that facilities risked
being overwhelmed.
"The capacity of the health system to respond is completely
crushed," Helen Ottens-Patterson, MSF head of mission in Gaza, told
journalists earlier this week.
[to top of second column] |
 In an indication of the
challenges ahead, she said that an MSF team had
to "wade through rubble and glass" to access a
ministry of health compound earlier this week.
Aid workers have also raised concerns about a
possible surge in COVID-19 infections after the
latest violence, since many people displaced by
bombings were crowded together for shelter.
(Reporting by Emma Farge and Stephanie Nebehay;
Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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