WHO makes multinational appeal to raise money for Palestinians

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a multinational appeal on October 24 to raise funds for countries they , believe are or will be the worst affected by Israel’s war against Hamas, including the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

The appeal asks for $80 million to aid WHO activities in Gaza and the West Bank as well as to take part in projects in neighboring countries to help those affected by the war.

In the report, the WHO bemoans the problems faced within Gaza and makes special mention of the issues faced in accessing water, fuel, and medical supplies.

Hospitals, it claims, are functioning above capacity and are playing host to civilians seeking shelter from the war. The effects have meant that critical medical services such as maternal wards have been left severely compromised.

Mentioning those who have died as a result of Israel's response to the Hamas massacre of October 7, the WHO claims 1.4 million displaced Palestinians and says that 171 Israeli strikes have affected either medical infrastructure or personnel.

Middle East tensions rising

The potential for the conflict to spill over into other parts of the region is brought up in light of the conflict has already spread from the Gaza region to include escalations in the West Bank, the Israel-Lebanon border, and most recently Syria.

The WHO commits to using any donations received to increase standards of care for trauma and emergency medicine as well as the establishment of disease outbreak monitoring systems in the region.