WHO Votes to Maintain Health Emergency Status in Palestine

SadaNews - The Executive Board of the World Health Organization has approved the continuation of an ongoing health emergency in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, following a vote on the draft resolution that passed with a majority of 27 votes out of 34 members, in a clear international stance reflecting the extent of the humanitarian and health collapse in the Gaza Strip.

One member, Israel, voted against the resolution, while 4 members abstained from voting, and 3 members were absent.

The Executive Board condemned the repeated and direct attacks on health facilities and medical personnel, considering them a gross and blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

The resolution emphasized the urgent need to open immediate, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian corridors and to ensure the entry of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel, as well as to secure the free movement of ambulances and medical teams, and to allow patients and wounded individuals to receive treatment outside the Gaza Strip, whose number has reached 18,500 according to the World Health Organization.

The resolution reaffirms the international community's commitment, through the World Health Organization, to protect Palestinian civilians, uphold the right to health, and ensure the continuation of humanitarian work without politicization or coercion.

This decision comes amid an unprecedented humanitarian and health disaster in the Gaza Strip, where ongoing aggression has led to the widespread destruction of hospitals, health centers, and ambulances, as well as direct targeting of medical and humanitarian personnel.

For his part, the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Ibrahim Khreisheh, praised the countries that supported the resolution, stressing the need for member states and the World Health Organization to join efforts to improve health conditions in Palestine.

He affirmed that the resolution embodies a confirmation of the field reality and a clear protection of the state of emergency and humanitarian work, emphasizing that protecting Palestinian health is a humanitarian and moral duty that cannot be politicized, amid the systematic targeting of civilians, facilities, and health teams.

He spoke about the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which indicated that 1,582 doctors and relief workers have been killed by Israeli occupation, in addition to 320 Palestinian detainees who were martyred due to medical neglect.

Khreisheh clarified that maintaining the state of emergency is not a political option, but a pressing humanitarian necessity to ensure the continued operation of the World Health Organization in accordance with its charter, and to protect what remains of the Palestinian health system from complete collapse, despite the occupation's attempts to end the state of emergency in Palestine.

He pointed out the continued occupation's barbaric policies against the health system and humanitarian work, with 95% of facilities being completely or partially targeted, and 37 relief organizations being prevented from performing their tasks, 22 of which work in the health field.

Khreisheh mentioned the martyrdom of one paramedic yesterday while attempting to save the wounded as a result of the Israeli aggression, emphasizing that humanitarian work should not be politicized or targeted.