A World Health Organization official who just lately returned from the Gaza Strip mentioned on Wednesday the well being care system is quickly deteriorating, and extra employees, provides and entry are urgently wanted.

“I’ve seen the health care system collapsing before my eyes,” Sean Casey, WHO Health Emergency Officer, informed reporters on the United Nations.

Casey spent 5 weeks in Gaza, beginning in early December, and he met with medical professionals and sufferers throughout the territory.

“I saw patients in hospitals every day with severe burns, with open fractures, waiting hours or days for care, and they would often ask me for food and water,” he mentioned.

Casey famous a cease-fire is essentially the most crucial want, however entry, the flexibility to maneuver individuals and aid provides safely and rapidly inside Gaza, additionally would assist ease struggling.

Before Hamas’ October 7 terror assault inside Israel that triggered the conflict, Gaza had a sturdy well being care system with 36 hospitals and a few 25,000 medical doctors, nurses and specialists. Now, the WHO says, solely about 15 hospitals are partially functioning, some simply barely, making it troublesome to help the greater than 50,000 injured individuals.

Casey mentioned there’s a scarcity of provides but additionally of employees, a lot of whom are displaced and struggling to outlive and take care of their very own households.

“There are unbelievably brave health workers across Gaza who are staying and taking care of people because there is no one else to do it,” he mentioned. “Many more would return to work if they had a safe way to do so and if they had a place to live and care for their families.”

Casey was in Gaza to see how to usher in extra worldwide medical groups to assist deal with the staggering wants.

He mentioned getting provides to northern Gaza is particularly difficult. During the 5 weeks he was there, his workforce was unable to ship provides to the most important hospital within the north, al-Shifa, for 12 consecutive days.

At Al-Ahli hospital, additionally within the north, Casey mentioned the scenario was grim.

“I saw patients who were lying on church pews, basically waiting to die in a hospital that had no fuel, no power, no water, very little in the way of medical supplies and only a handful of staff remaining to take care of them.”

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid provides, however Casey mentioned he had not seen proof of that in his hospital visits.

“I have no evidence of supplies that have been delivered to hospitals going anywhere except to those hospitals,” he mentioned. “I have seen them used immediately; I’ve seen the boxes opened, so that specific drugs can be accessed.”

The U.N. secretary-general just lately appointed a particular humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza. Sigrid Kaag visited Gaza briefly on Wednesday, the place a U.N. spokesperson mentioned she noticed the logistical operations. She was additionally on the Egyptian aspect of the border on the humanitarian staging space at Al Arish, not removed from the Rafah border crossing.

In Davos, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed enterprise leaders that a right away humanitarian cease-fire is required in Gaza, adopted by a course of that results in sustained peace for Israelis and Palestinians, primarily based on a two-state resolution.

“This is the only way to stem the suffering and prevent a spillover that could send the entire region up in flames,” he mentioned.

Israel put Hamas-controlled Gaza below a complete blockade following Hamas’ shock assault in southern Israel on October 7, which killed some 1,200 individuals. The United States- and European Union-designated terror group additionally kidnapped round 240 Israeli and overseas hostages to Gaza. Just over 100 have been launched throughout a weeklong pause in late November.

The Hamas-run Gaza well being ministry reviews greater than 24,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, most of them girls and youngsters.