The World Health Organization warned on December 8 that the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has reached the brink of civilization and social collapse as the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues, forcing the local population to take desperate measures to obtain basic necessities such as fuel and water. Since the start of the conflict, more than 17,000 Palestinians have died, while about 1,200 have been killed on the Israeli side.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier attended the organization's press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in a virtual manner on the same day, and noted in his speech that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has developed to incredible proportions and the local health system has been paralyzed.
Statistics released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the evening show that only 14 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are currently barely functioning.
Lindmeier also pointed out that refugee camps in the Gaza Strip have access to only 1 to 2 litres of clean water per person per day, which is completely insufficient to meet basic needs.
The warning from the United Nations body comes as Israel continues to intensify its assault on the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military's earlier briefing said that the Israeli army, navy and air force had attacked more than 450 targets in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. According to the British "Guardian", this is the largest day of air strikes launched by the Israeli army since the end of the temporary ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip on December 1, local time.
Edited by Shen Peipei).