UN humanitarians repeated dire concerns for civilians caught up in the war in Gaza amid continued Israeli bombardment of the southern towns of Deir al Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
The latest warnings from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) highlighted the threat of starvation and disease in heavily built-up areas, where tens of thousands of people have fled intense bombing campaigns in the enclaves north and center.
The WFP said in a post on the X platform, "everyone in Gaza is hungry! Skipping meals is the norm, and each day is a desperate search for sustenance. People often go the entire day and night without eating. Adults go hungry so children can eat."
According to UNRWA, over a million people are now seeking safety in the already overcrowded southern city of Rafah, with hundreds of thousands sleeping in the open with inadequate clothing or materials to keep out the cold.
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of an "imminent risk" of communicable disease outbreaks.
Since mid-October, there have been 179,000 cases of acute respiratory infection, 136,400 cases of diarrhea among under fives, 55,400 cases of scabies and lice, and 4,600 cases of jaundice, WHO reported.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicated that the Gazan health authorities had managed to resume some hospital services in northern Gaza, including Al Ahli Arab Hospital, Patients Friends charity hospital, Al Helou International hospital, Al Awda hospital and a number of other primary care centres.
"This occurred amidst great risks surrounding the movement and work of medical teams due to the continuous bombing of residential neighborhoods and the vicinity of health facilities," OCHA said.
"Furthermore, the Ministry of Health in Gaza, UNRWA and WHO are coordinating on a plan for the reactivation of health centers to meet the needs of displaced people in all places of displacement."
According to a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) encompassing Oct. 7 to Nov. 20, the period saw a "sharp increase in airstrikes as well as in incursions by armored personnel carriers and bulldozers sent to refugee camps and other densely populated areas in the West Bank, resulting in deaths, injuries and extensive damage to civilian objects and infrastructure".
The Israeli entity continues its intense and unprecedented aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 89th day in a row, launching dozens of air strikes and bombardments by land and sea, leaving 22,185 martyrs and more than 57,000 wounded, more than 70% of whom are children and women. While there are still thousands of martyrs and wounded under the rubble and on the roads, they have not been recovered due to the continuous bombing. (QNA)
