The UN announced that fuel shortages and deteriorating sanitary conditions in the Gaza Strip create perfect conditions for a tragedy through the spread of disease.
UNICEF, the UN children's agency, has said there is a serious threat of a mass outbreak of disease in the besieged Palestinian territory.
"Without enough fuel, we will see the collapse of sanitation services. So then, apart from mortars and bombs, we have perfect conditions for the spread of disease and tragedy," UNICEF spokesman James Elder told a briefing in Geneva. "We have a desperate shortage of water, faeces are scattered throughout the densely populated settlements. We are witnessing a lack of toilets and severe restrictions on personal hygiene and cleaning"
Elder said the risk of further loss of life in Gaza has worsened significantly as some 800,000 children in the enclave have been displaced from their homes.
"If children's access to water and sanitation in Gaza continues to be limited and inadequate, we will see a tragic increase in the death toll," Elder said.
UNICEF is particularly concerned about the risk of a cholera outbreak in the Gaza Strip, fearing an exponential increase in child mortality in the event of an outbreak. /BGNES
