The UN World Health Organization issues an urgent appeal for $7 million to pay for a “comprehensive emergency response” in Gaza amid the conflict with Israel.
WHO says the funds would “enable a comprehensive emergency response in the next six months” in Gaza as well in the West Bank, which has also seen a surge in protests and violent attacks.
“In the Gaza Strip, the severity of injuries is straining an already overwhelmed health system,” says Ahmed al-Mandhari, director of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region.
The health system in the crowded enclave “is facing critical shortages of essential medicines and supplies while also battling the Covid-19 pandemic,” he says in an online press conference.
Before the latest military escalation, the rate of positive Covid tests in Gaza was among the highest in the world, at 28 percent, and hospitals were already overwhelmed by patients.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 20, 2021
