Hospitals collapsing, no water, electrical energy, physique luggage: UN company in Gaza

Hospitals are almost collapsing, meals is disappearing from the markets and the UNRWA chief simply introduced that we solely have sufficient gas for 3 days. If Gaza doesn’t get gas provide, our operations will cease. This implies different sectors associated to us, like desalination vegetation, sewage system, hospitals, will  additionally cease. So we’re reaching disaster in a couple of days.

If at the moment or tomorrow, we have now no gas to spare, then our functioning, our operations (shall be hit)… Now we have a whole lot of automobiles, hundreds of workers… we’re the principle deal with in Gaza now. Now we have 600,000 displaced individuals in our shelters within the Gaza Strip. You will have the identical quantity outdoors our shelters, sleeping within the streets or with kinfolk right here and there. So, if we’re hit now, by not having the ability to operate and repair your complete  inhabitants, as a result of we stay the one physique that delivers providers, then we may have a disaster, a tragedy…

If you say that hospitals are collapsing, what do you imply?

There’s a scarcity of apparatus, medicines, necessities… we used to ship sufferers from Gaza to Jordan, West Financial institution and Egypt as a result of right here, they don’t have the flexibility and expertise to deal with sufferers in some particular ailments, or carry out some surgical procedure.

However now, you may’t do this… you may see injured individuals on the ground, you may see issues that you possibly can not think about… What we lack in Gaza are physique luggage. It’s horrible.

What concerning the meals scarcity?

It’s troublesome to seek out what you need, like bread… you will notice very lengthy traces of individuals ready on the bakeries, otherwise you undergo the market of each camp, you may see that one can find nothing after some days… Yesterday, I went to one of many markets, grocery store truly, and I solely discovered some biscuits and shakes. There is no such thing as a drinkable water… I went to all of the markets, and couldn’t discover bottled water.

How are you managing with out water?

There are some small desalination vegetation that are nonetheless working as a result of we offer gas to them. So you should purchase water. However there isn’t a water to bathe, I took a bathe solely as soon as in 16 days… as I’ve moved from Gaza Metropolis to Rafah. For 600,000 individuals, you don’t have the flexibility to finance them, to supply them with correct circumstances for regular life, so troublesome…

You will have moved from Gaza Metropolis to Rafah?

Sure, due to the airstrikes, due to the warnings that they’ll come to the neighbourhood.

Is the UNRWA the one company left in Gaza?

By way of providers, we’re alone. We had UNICEF, WFP, WHO. However we’re the largest organisation, we have now almost 13,000 workers, Now we have a whole lot of automobiles, over 200 buildings, installations, clinics. So we had been the lifeline for the individuals of Gaza earlier than the escalation… However now we’re alone. Earlier than, we did have the authority, we had different NGOs, however now we’re alone.

Have you ever suffered casualties?

Now we have learnt that about 35 of our colleagues have been killed and 10 have been injured, however we anticipate the quantity to be larger. As a result of you’ve gotten individuals in Gaza, it’s so troublesome to rescue individuals from underneath the rubble… they don’t have the flexibility to take away the rubble of the buildings which have been destroyed. So we have now not been up to date… Now we have over 40 installations which have been hit straight or not directly… these are shelters, colleges, clinics and headquarters.

The UNRWA headquarters was additionally hit?

Sure, the UNRWA headquarters has been severely broken. I used to be there after they hit a constructing subsequent to the headquarters, and our workplaces suffered extreme injury. It isn’t functioning anymore.

What number of truckloads of support have come thus far?

There have been three truck convoys thus far… the entire is about 50 vans or a little bit extra. Earlier, 500-600 vans used to return day by day… These are UNRWA vans as a result of we’re the one physique with the flexibility, from a logistics viewpoint… we have now transportation, and the capability to retailer and distribute.

With no electrical energy, how are you managing to speak?

Now we have a generator at our shelter, so individuals come to cost their telephones. Telecommunication corporations are in Gaza, so you will get cellphone community… For those who tried to name me on the cellphone earlier, it could have been troublesome… However I’m on the UNRWA facility now, they supply us with a sort of communication facility. However the web sign may be very weak. I attempted to attach with somebody on Skype, however failed.

However outdoors the UNRWA facility, many individuals don’t have web. They don’t have electrical energy. They only get up within the morning, asking what to do subsequent. Nobody is aware of what is going to occur after 5 minutes in Gaza.

The explosion on the hospital, do you’ve gotten a way of the casualties now, per week after the assault?

We don’t discuss that… as a humanitarian physique… we will solely say that there isn’t a secure place in Gaza. You could be hit or attacked any second. I’ve no details about that.

Do you’ve gotten any sense of the presence of Hamas in Gaza, as an authority?

No, no, I don’t. I’m sorry.

What’s your message to the worldwide group?

They’ve this blockade, the siege on Gaza, which is de facto very harmful, even earlier than the final escalation. We imagine the civilians in Gaza should be protected. There’s a regulation for each battle and it must be carried out right here too… don’t abandon Gaza as we’re heading in the direction of an actual disaster within the coming days.