Geneva, January 20 (RHC)-- The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the Gaza ceasefire between the Israeli regime and Palestinian resistance movements but warned that “immense challenges lie ahead to restore the health system.”
The UN agency said on Sunday only half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational. The 15-month-long Israeli genocidal war has damaged or partly destroyed nearly all hospitals and just 38 percent of primary healthcare centers are functional.
An estimated 25 percent of those injured -- about 30,000 people -- face life-changing injuries and will need ongoing rehabilitation. “Transmission of infectious diseases has massively increased, malnutrition is rising, and the risk of famine persists. The breakdown of public order, exacerbated by armed gangs, raises further concerns,” the organization said in a statement.
“Addressing the massive needs and restoring the health system will be an extremely complex and challenging task,” it added. “It is critical that the security obstacles hindering operations are removed.”
Israel unleashed its brutal Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023, after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
However, the Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve any of its declared objectives, including the release of captives and the “elimination” of Hamas despite killing nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
On Wednesday, Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire agreement, accepting Hamas’ longstanding negotiation terms.
In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
Last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take immediate steps to prevent “plausible genocide” in the besieged Gaza Strip, following a case brought by South Africa.
