Beatrice Guarrera – Vatican
The residents of Gaza are not safe: men, women, and children have been living in dramatic conditions for over two years. Most of the population has been displaced and remains “exposed to continuous health and environmental threats, while reports of attacks on residential areas continue to flow in” – reports the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in its latest report on the situation in Gaza.
While the eyes of the world are focused on other conflicts, over two million people suffer daily in the Gaza Strip. International media mention them less and less, although the number of victims there continues to grow. Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect last October, at least 880 people have been killed as a result of Israeli attacks.
Thousands need rehabilitation
At the same time, the World Health Organization has estimated that over 43,000 Gaza residents have sustained permanent injuries, and one in four of these people is a child. Serious health impairments include limb injuries, amputations, spinal cord injuries, burns, and brain injuries. Over 50,000 people today need urgent, long-term rehabilitation, but the facilities providing it are extremely overburdened.
According to OCHA, “none of the rehabilitation facilities are fully functional, access to specialized care is limited, and due to import restrictions, there is a lack of equipment, prosthetics, and assistive devices.” Waiting times for admission are very long; many patients are discharged too early or cannot receive adequate treatment, which increases the risk of permanent disability.
Appeal for medical corridors
For this reason, local and international humanitarian organizations have been appealing for months for the opening of corridors to provide medical assistance to the population devastated by over two years of war. Despite immense needs, the Israeli government still allows only a small fraction of the necessary humanitarian aid into Gaza.
According to the latest OCHA data, from the beginning of the month until May 11, only one in two trucks sent from Egypt managed to deliver supplies through Israeli-controlled crossings on the Gaza Strip border. “Humanitarian operations,” the report states, “continue to be restricted by limitations on the import of essential spare parts, backup generators, and other equipment, as well as by shortages of key materials, including fuel and engine oil.”
Limited humanitarian operations
Operations are also limited by prohibitions against key partners, restrictions on movement within the Gaza Strip, destruction of roads and infrastructure, as well as continuous strikes, exchanges of fire, and insecurity.
Under better conditions – writes OCHA – humanitarian partners “could expand the scope of their activities, respond more effectively, and provide assistance more systematically in all parts of the enclave.” This would require a full guarantee of humanitarian access, active support for unexploded ordnance clearance, debris removal, and repair of damaged homes, as well as uninterrupted entry of essential supplies. These conditions would allow for – at least partial – a return to more dignified living conditions.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, 98% of the water is undrinkable, 89% of the water infrastructure is severely damaged or destroyed, and petrol stations lack fuel.
