WHO statement on Gaza: 'We are concerned about malnutrition'

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, joined the weekly press briefing of the United Nations (UN) Office at Geneva online to provide an assessment of the situation in Gaza.

Stating that 13 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are partially functional, Peeperkorn said, "There are 8,000 people in Gaza in need of medical evacuation, 6,000 of whom are war-related injuries and 2,000 of whom have other medical conditions."

Drawing attention to the food crisis in Gaza, Peeperkorn spoke as follows:

"We are extremely concerned about malnutrition in Gaza. Acute food insecurity in Gaza is at an unprecedented level in recent history. No one is safe due to the extreme hunger in Gaza. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the most reliable analysis on food security, more than half a million people in Gaza are facing 'catastrophic' levels of hunger. The IPC has warned of famine if current conditions persist."

Peeperkorn emphasized that the risk of disease is further increasing in the Gaza Strip, which is being driven toward famine, and reiterated the UN's call for the removal of restrictions on aid to Gaza and the obstacles to aid distribution.

News Source: AA