By 
GAZA – The World Health Organisation (WHO) painted a bleak picture of the situation in Gaza on Monday night and called for Israel “to take every possible measure to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, as per the laws of war.”
ABC news reported that according to the latest information from the WHO, there were only 18 functioning hospitals in Gaza, with three only providing first aid and the remainder just partial services.
With an increasing number of Palestinians displaced as the war continued, the WHO said “syndromic surveillance has noted increases in infectious diseases, including acute respiratory infections, scabies, jaundice, diarrhoea, and bloody diarrhoea.
Shelters in the south are also reporting cases of acute jaundice syndrome, a worrisome signal of hepatitis.”
The WHO warned thousands were likely to be cut off from health care services due to increased ground operations by Israel in southern Gaza.
The open hospitals were reportedly operating beyond capacity, with the bed occupancy rate at 171 percent and intensive care units at 221 percent, the WHO said, based on data from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
WHO workers called the situation at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis “catastrophic, with the building and hospital grounds grossly overcrowded with patients and displaced people seeking shelter.”
The WHO said in a statement Monday night it had recorded 203 “attacks on hospitals, ambulances, medical supplies, and the detention of health-care workers attacks on hospitals, ambulances medical supplies” between October 7 and November 28, 2023
“This is unacceptable,” the WHO’s statement read.
“There are means to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and they should be instituted.”
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