Attachments
Key concerns
• Continued dismantling of the health system, jeopardizing health service provision, access to health, and delivery of life-saving supplies. This is further straining the capacity of the health system to meet the health care needs of the vulnerable population.
◦ In northern Gaza, five hospitals remain partially functional, providing limited health care services to the vulnerable population: two in the northern governorate and three in Gaza City.
◦ In the south, seven hospitals are currently operational, two in Deir al-Balah, two in Khan Younis, and three in Rafah, in addition to seven field hospitals.
◦ Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, in the middle governorate, was reportedly hit on 22 April, disrupting the solar energy system that supplies electricity to the hospital and causing damage to water and fuel tanks.
• The planned Rafah incursion will have disastrous impact on the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. As part of contingency efforts, WHO and partners are urgently working to restore and resuscitate health services, including through expansion of services and pre-positioning of supplies, but the broken health system would not be able to cope with a surge in casualties and deaths that a Rafah incursion would cause.
• Increasing insecurity, destroyed roads infrastructure, and lack of proper facilitation of humanitarian missions continue to hinder health access. A sustained and functional deconfliction mechanism is needed to facilitate safe delivery of humanitarian aid across the Gaza Strip, as per International Humanitarian Law.
• As of 30 April, medical evacuation was requested for a total of 10,051 critical patients. Out of this total, 5,643 requests were approved (56% approval rate), and 4,697 patients were successfully evacuated. The difference between approved and evacuated patients is attributed to patients passing away while awaiting approval, patients encountering access restrictions, or not being timely informed of the approved evacuation date. The number of patients requiring medical evacuation is expected to increase, considering diminished capacity of the Gazan health system to meet the exacerbated needs of the vulnerable population, in light of the ongoing emergency.
• The Palestinian Civil Defense warned from disease outbreaks, with more than an estimated 10,000 people missing under rubble in the Gaza Strip. This is particularly worrisome with the rise in temperature, which can accelerate decomposition of the bodies.
• Partner operations continue to be negatively affected by the displacement of staff, operational challenges, and disrupted telecommunication.
• Limited access to proper WASH facilities continue to contribute to the rise in infectious disease, including diarrhoeal illness and hepatitis A.
• Escalation of violence in the West Bank. Since 7 October, the MoH reported more than 492 people killed