UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians said Monday that weekend attacks in Gaza reportedly killed dozens of people and damaged a medical storage facility amid feared medical supply shortages.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the weekend casualties reportedly included children and other civilians.
On Saturday, one strike hit the area of Al Aqsa hospital, damaging an adjacent medical storage facility, OCHA said.
The World Health Organization reported that the attack destroyed essential medical supplies, including some that the agency had delivered. Due to the proximity of the attack, the hospital building also sustained minor damage.
"Humanitarian partners warn that funding constraints continue to drive shortages of essential medical supplies, including insulin for patients with Type 1 diabetes and medicines for cardiovascular diseases," OCHA said. "Stocks of basic critical diagnostic and monitoring equipment -- such as glucometers, blood glucose test strips, blood pressure monitors and monofilaments -- are also low, affecting the quality of screening, follow-up and disease management services."
The office said that hemodialysis services were short on key supplies, particularly vascular access supplies, while scarce quantities of cardiac catheterization materials are affecting cardiac services, squeezing treatments to a small number of priority cases.
More supplies required to prevent and control infections are pending Israeli approval to be brought into Gaza. Alcohol-based disinfectants, which are essential for hand hygiene and routine infection prevention, are largely unavailable, OCHA added.
Gaza health authorities have reported that more than 150 fatalities, including dozens of civilians, were documented in July, the deadliest month so far this year.
OCHA said most strikes are being reported in the western half of the Gaza Strip, where virtually all 2.1 million people are concentrated.
The office stressed that under international humanitarian law, civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected and should not be targeted, and health care facilities must never be attacked or militarized.
According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), mothers in Gaza continue breastfeeding under extremely difficult conditions. Alongside partners, UNICEF continued providing mothers with counseling and nutrition support, OCHA said.
The office noted that more than 210,000 caregivers have joined group sessions, and over 160,000 have received individual support so far this year. In the past six months, nearly 570 mothers have restarted breastfeeding following counseling, OCHA said, citing UNICEF.
World Breastfeeding Week started on Saturday and will continue until Friday, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN secretary-general.
"This year's theme, 'Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: strengthen what works,' calls on governments, health systems and communities to continue to invest in interventions that have been proven to enhance breastfeeding outcomes," Haq said. ■
