Regional Director opening remarks at WHO/EMRO press briefing
15 January 2024
Good afternoon from WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt.
We are now at the 100-day mark since the hostilities in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory escalated.
In this short period of time, Gazans – previously waking up every day in their beds to get ready to go to school or work, have family dinners together, and make plans for the future – have lost their closest loved ones, homes and belongings, livelihoods, and most basic human rights.
Almost 85% of the entire population of Gaza 1.9 million people – are now displaced and living in overcrowded shelters with extremely limited sanitation services, without food or water, in freezing temperatures, and facing increasing hunger and disease, in addition to risk of injury or death from the bombardments.
The health system is hanging by a thread, desperately trying to maintain functionality amid overwhelming challenges and threats of attack. With only 15 of 36 hospitals functioning – and all of these only partially functioning – many injured patients are being treated on the floors of overcrowded health facilities. Many of those who could be saved are dying due to lack of specialized doctors, fuel and electricity, medicine, food, and clean water.
As a result of restrictions and delays in the delivery of fuel, medicines, and other aid, the unimaginable suffering and risk of death and illness for people in Gaza continues to climb.
For 100 days, we have called for increased flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza and unhindered access to