Gaza health situation is 'catastrophic', says WHO chief

A woman sits with children outside, as displaced Palestinians, who fled their houses due to Israeli strike, shelter in a camp in Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip, December 6, 2023. - Reuters

GENEVA/SINGAPORE: The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Gaza's healthcare sector has been "catastrophic", the World Health Organization chief said on Sunday at an emergency board meeting, saying conditions were ideal for the spread of deadly diseases.

However, he said it would be all but impossible for the WHO to improve the situation given the ongoing violence.