Nissan to lay off thousands of workers as sales drop    Trump picks Susan Wiles as White House chief of staff    Three charged in connection with Liam Payne's death    Israel passes law to deport relatives of attackers, including citizens    Monkey mayhem in South Carolina after 43 primates escape research facility    Russian anti-war teenager faces five years in jail after failed appeal    Uproar in Ghana after president unveils his own statue    BD and INS partner to elevate standards of infusion care in MENAT    Qassim emir launches 52 health projects costing a total of SR456 million    Dubai Design Week launches its 10th edition, celebrating creativity and innovation    Fakeeh Care Group reports 9M-2024 net profit of SR195.3 million, up 49% y-o-y driven by solid revenue growth and robust profitability    GASTAT: Passengers of public transport bus and train soar 176% and 33% respectively in 2023    HRT does not impact life expectancy — UK health body    Liam Payne's body to be flown back to the UK    Arab leaders and heads of state congratulate US President-elect Donald Trump    Neymar suffers muscle tear, out for 4-6 weeks    Suspect arrested for banking fraud totaling SR493 million as Nazaha pursues corruption charges    Al Nassr secures 5-1 victory over Al Ain to edge closer to knockout stage    Al Ahli extends perfect start with 5-1 victory over Al Shorta    Mitrovic's hat-trick leads Al Hilal to 3-0 victory over Esteghlal    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Muted Eid celebrations for millions of Nigerian Muslims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Besieged Gaza hospital horror continues as rainfall prompts new scare
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 11 - 2023

UN health agency WHO hailed on Tuesday the "heroic efforts" of staff at Gaza City's besieged Al-Shifa hospital and expressed concern for hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the enclave where heavy rainfall has caused flooding and aggravated the already dire health crisis.
In a statement issued by his Spokesperson, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "deeply disturbed by the horrible situation and dramatic loss of life" reported in Gaza's medical facilities.
"In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire", the statement reiterated.
"Rain will just add further to the suffering" of people in the Strip, WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told reporters earlier in Geneva, at a time when disruptions in sewage pumping and water shortages have caused a spike in waterborne diseases and bacterial infections.
The World Health Organization warned last week that since mid-October, over 33,500 cases of diarrhea have been reported, mostly among children under five, some 16 times the monthly average.
Facilities run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, where over 580,000 displaced people in southern Gaza had sought shelter due to Israel's offensive in retaliation for Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attacks, are more than nine times over capacity and the overcrowding is posing further health risks.
"We are begging for a ceasefire to happen now," Dr. Harris insisted.
Meanwhile in Geneva, the families of some of the 238 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7 were due to continue their advocacy for the release of their loved ones on Tuesday.
A meeting was announced between hostages' families and Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a UN humanitarian partner organization.
In a statement, the ICRC said that Spoljaric would also meet with the Israeli authorities and that the organization has been "persistently advocating on behalf of the hostages held in Gaza, including directly with Hamas and with actors who may have influence on the parties".
WHO's Dr. Harris described in detail the dire situation at Al-Shifa hospital, which is a focus of operations by the Israeli Defense Forces which claim that Hamas had established a command center under the hospital — an allegation denied by medical staff.
Speaking of the "heroic" health workers, Dr. Harris said that they are "doing whatever they can to keep going" while the facility has been without power since Nov. 11 and there was not enough food and clean water.
Some 700 patients were still present at the site and more than 400 health staff, in addition to around 3,000 displaced persons who had sought refuge there. Dr. Harris said that 20 patient deaths have been reported in the last 48 hours.
Meanwhile, news reports on Tuesday morning indicated that the Israeli military offered to provide incubators to Al-Shifa hospital, where 36 premature babies require constant care.
As many as six premature babies had reportedly died over the past three days as their incubators were unable to function owing to the lack of electricity.
Asked about the possibility of evacuating patients, Dr. Harris explained that all of those remaining at Al-Shifa required critical support to stay alive. Moving them "would be a very difficult thing to ask in the best circumstances", Dr. Harris said, let alone amid bombing, armed clashes and a lack of fuel for ambulances.
"The best way would be to stop the hostilities right now and focus on saving lives, not taking lives," she insisted.
Some 135 attacks on health facilities have been documented in Gaza over the course of the past month, and WHO's Dr. Harris said that this was the highest number recorded in such a short amount of time.
"I hope this is the worst we ever see," she said.
The WHO spokesperson pointed to an "increasing trend" of attacks on health care, also seen in other ongoing conflicts in Sudan and in Ukraine.
"It seems that somehow the understanding that a hospital must a safe haven, a place where people come to be treated when they are in need, has been forgotten," she told journalists. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.