Gaza Bombardment ‘Just the  Beginning’, Says Netanyahu

Bennett   Oghifo

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the bombardment of Gaza in the past 24 hours was “just the beginning” of their retaliatory attack following Hamas’ invasion of Israeli territory that left 1,300 people dead and over 150 hostages taken into Gaza.

“Our enemies have only just started paying the price. I cannot reveal what will happen, but I am telling you this is just the beginning,” Netanyahu said on television yesterday, stating that Hamas would be “destroyed.”

He said, “We will never forgive, we will never let the world forget these horrors inflicted on the Jewish people. We will fight our enemies using power without limit.”

The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had told Palestanians to relocate within 24 hours to the Southern part of Gaza to avoid being caught in the crossfire, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday appealed to Israel not to enforce that order because it would cause a huge humanitarian problem.

The plea by WHO is contained in a statement it issued yesterday, saying that the vulnerable large population put at over a million people would have no safe place to go and that the sick among them could die in the process.

According to WHO, “Almost half of the population of Gaza is under 18 years of age. With dwindling supplies of safe food, clean water, health services, and without adequate shelter, children and adults, including the elderly, will all be at heightened risk of disease.

“The Palestinian Ministry of Health has informed WHO that it is impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients without endangering their lives. Vulnerable patients include those who are critically injured or dependent on life support. Moving them amid hostilities puts their lives at immediate risk.

“The two Ministry of Health hospitals in the North of Gaza that continue to be operational, have greatly exceeded their combined 760-bed capacity with severe overcrowding. Of the thousands of patients with injuries and other conditions receiving care in hospitals, there are hundreds that are severely wounded and over 100 who require critical care.

“These are the sickest of the sick. Many thousands more, also with wounds or other health needs, cannot access any kind of care.

“The compressed timeframe, complex transport logistics, damaged roads, and, above all, lack of supportive care during transport all add to the difficulty of moving them.”

The global health body said it has medical and other supplies that they ought to deliver to the sick and dying in Gaza and appeal for a humanitarian corridor.

The statement said, “WHO has prepared medical supplies in its logistics hub in Dubai and is ready to deliver them to Areesh, Egypt—just 20 minutes from Rafah—as soon as the landing permit is received. The supplies would be enough to care for more than 300,000 patients with a range of wounds and diseases.

“WHO asks for the immediate establishment of a humanitarian corridor for their onward, safe delivery to health care facilities in Gaza, including via Rafah.

“WHO reiterates its plea for humanitarian access for life-saving supplies and the delivery of fuel, water, and food; for protection under international humanitarian law for civilians, health workers and health infrastructure; and ultimately, for an end to hostilities and violence.”