GAZA CITY: Israeli authorities’ repeated refusals to allow aid deliveries have left five Gaza hospitals cut off from “lifesaving medical supplies,” warned the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).
Requests to reach Gaza City’s Central Drug Store and Jabalya’s Al Awda Hospital have been denied five times since December 26. The continued denial of fuel delivery to water and sanitation facilities is leaving tens of thousands without clean water, increasing the risk of sewage overflows and communicable diseases.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 15 out of the region’s 36 hospitals remain “partially functional,” with nine in the south and six in the north. Since the commencement of hostilities, the UN and health partners have delivered healthcare and medical services to an estimated 500,000 people.
Recent reports from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicate intensified Israeli bombardment across central and southern areas of Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis governorates, involving air, land, and sea operations.
Rocket fire into Israel and clashes between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli soldiers persist in Gaza, particularly in Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis governorates.
Gaza Hospitals Face Isolation
According to Gaza health authorities, 126 Palestinians were killed between Jan. 8 and 9, with 241 reported injuries. The total estimated number of fatalities stands at least 23,210 Palestinians, with 59,167 injured, resulting from Israeli bombardment since October 7 last year.
The Israeli authorities estimate that approximately 136 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza,” according to OCHA.
The ongoing Israeli offensive has led to numerous deadly incidents with devastating consequences for tens of thousands of civilians, prompting many to flee Gaza City and the north to central and southern areas of the Strip.
In Khan Younis, a five-year-old child of an MSF worker died after an MSF shelter was hit on Monday. In Deir Al Balah, a targeted house resulted in the reported deaths of four people and injuries to dozens, as per OCHA.
The UN office also cited the Israeli military, reporting that between Jan. 8 and 9, nine Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza, bringing the total to 183 since the start of the ground operation, with 1,065 personnel injured.
As more civilians flee hostilities following Israeli evacuation orders, UN humanitarians are reiterating warnings about the growing risk of disease in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the southern city of Rafah.
Prior to the war, Rafah had a population of around 280,000 people, but it now exceeds one million, as stated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) on Tuesday in an online post on X.
The agency highlighted the alarming disease spread in overcrowded streets, emphasizing the overwhelming need faced by staff.
After over three months of violence, nearly 85% of Gaza’s population, approximately 1.9 million people, are believed to be displaced, according to UNRWA.
The UN agency continues to shelter nearly 1.4 million people in 155 UNRWA facilities across all five governorates, but these facilities far exceed their intended capacity.
UNWRA installations have endured 63 direct hits, resulting in at least 319 displaced people killed and over 1,135 injured since October 7. On January 9, 131 trucks with supplies entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings, according to OCHA.
