Diseases and illnesses caused by respiratory infections, lice, scabies, and other health issues could lead to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Gaza, the UN emergency relief organization OCHA has warned.
With Israel continuing to bomb the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian crisis in the enclave is worsening.
The death toll has surpassed 21,000, and now the subsequent health issues in Gaza could lead to many more deaths.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Saturday that health services in Gaza have long been overstretched.
As Gazans are displaced from their homes, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), has warned that Respiratory infections and diarrhea are among the most severe diseases that are causing issues in emergency shelters.
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OCHA figures say that around 180,000 people in Gaza are suffering from respiratory infections.
Meanwhile, 136,000 children under the age of five have diarrhea, which can lead to life-threatening loss of water and minerals without treatment.
There are also around 55,000 cases of lice and scabies.
The OCHA also reported that the UN Children’s Fund delivered 600,000 vaccine doses to the Gaza Strip this week.
They hope that young children will be able to get jabs for diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.
While the US and other Western nations have provided Israel with diplomatic support as it tries to “destroy Hamas”, concerns have started to rise about the proportionality of Israel’s attacks.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war.
He also said Israel will retake control of the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.
He said “the war is at its height” and the Philadelphi corridor buffer zone that runs along Gaza’s border with Egypt “must be shut.”
Netanyahu said: “It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarisation that we seek.
“The war will continue for many months until Hamas is eliminated and the hostages are returned. We will guarantee that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”
