During a press conference, Ghebreyesus noted that Gaza has witnessed a significant increase in deaths related to malnutrition, as treatment centers for severe acute malnutrition are full without sufficient emergency food supplies.
Ghebreyesus explained that 95% of households in Gaza suffer from severe water shortages, which significantly threatens their lives, especially in light of the collapse of humanitarian supply lines and the ongoing blockade of the area. He also stressed that the United Nations and humanitarian partners have been unable to bring food into the Strip for 80 consecutive days due to access restrictions, exacerbating the suffering of the population.
Ghebreyesus added that 90% of Gaza's territory is under evacuation orders or within military zones imposed by the Israeli occupation, and that hospitals that were supposed to be safe havens for the wounded have been subjected to continuous attacks, rendering many of them inoperable or reducing their operational capacity.
In a horrific incident on Monday, Ghebreyesus spoke of WHO staff coming under fire in Deir al-Balah, where Israeli occupation forces attacked the staff residence, wounding dozens and forcing women and children to evacuate the building on foot amid the clashes.
Ghebreyesus added that despite these significant challenges, the World Health Organization and other humanitarian agencies continue to work in Gaza, affirming the organization's commitment to providing support despite the significant difficulties.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the death toll from famine and malnutrition since October 2023 had risen to 101, including 80 children, after 15 Palestinians, including four children, were killed in the space of 24 hours.
The government media office in Gaza warned last Sunday that the Strip was on the verge of "mass death," after more than 140 days of closed crossings.
Since March 2, Israel has evaded further implementation of a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas, closing Gaza's crossings to aid trucks stacked along the border.
Israel has been blockading Gaza for 18 years, leaving approximately 1.5 million Palestinians out of a population of approximately 2.4 million in the Strip homeless after their homes were destroyed in the war of extermination.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a war of extermination in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international calls and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The US-backed genocide left more than 201,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 9,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands of displaced persons and a famine that claimed the lives of many.
