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Leading World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have warned Gaza’s health system is unprepared for the challenges of the coming winter.
Speaking to The National after a tour of Emirates Humanitarian City in Abu Dhabi, where about 2,000 Gazans have been given refuge, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme and Rick Brennan, regional emergency director in the Eastern Mediterranean, said Gaza was “not ready” and warned of a serious risk of rising malnutrition and food security issues.
They said the area’s lack of weatherproof shelters and basic necessities could have severe repercussions on health as temperatures drop.
“It is like a ticking time bomb,” Dr Ryan said. “The Middle East can get very cold in winter ... if we see a bad winter, we’re not ready for it." Much of Gaza's displaced population was currently sheltering under “plastic sheeting” rather than insulated tents that would help protect them against winter’s cold, he said.
About 43,400 are estimated to have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023. Last winter, Dr Ryan said many Gazans were living under the shelter of UNRWA-run schools, which have since been destroyed. Inadequate shelter compounds the risk of respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19 and flu spreading in already crowded conditions.
Watch: Gaza tailor turns blankets into winter clothes for children
His comments followed a similar warning from a senior Palestinian official who said hygiene levels will deteriorate in Gaza this winter, putting the enclave, where there is already an increased threat of serious disease, on the brink of yet another humanitarian catastrophe.
Heavy rain could mix with sewage and waste water, creating a “huge issue”, especially for Gaza’s most vulnerable groups, said Samah Hamad, the Palestinian Minister of Social Development, last month.
Alongside these seasonal concerns, the WHO is monitoring potential outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, which has recently appeared in Lebanon and could have devastating effects if it spreads to Gaza.
Dr Ryan highlighted the urgency, noting: “We’re likely to do other campaigns. We’re talking about a measles campaign because measles could be a major risk.” The effects of prolonged conflict have severely compromised Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, already struggling to meet basic demands.
'Worst we've seen'
“This is the worst situation we’ve ever seen,” he said, comparing it to conflicts in Afghanistan, South Sudan and Syria. “We’ve been through a lot of different situations – Afghanistan, Sudan before South Sudan. This is the worst for me … Syria was also very bad.
"When you see countries that had a solid public health system, a well-nourished population, good immunisation, a strong school system and then you see all that destroyed – the difference between then and now is so extreme that it’s hard to imagine.
"You look at these kids we’re seeing today. They’re beautiful young children. How many of them will ever go home? How many will ever be able to return to Palestine? How many will ever see their families, their friends again? Some of them never will. It’s an incredibly tragic situation and it’s a historic situation for the UN because this is a population under the care of the United Nations' system. To see people under our care reduced to such suffering is terrible.”
The injuries were life-altering, according to Dr Ryan. “There are still over 2 million people in Gaza, crammed into smaller and smaller areas. The international community needs to decide if it will allow this to continue, or if it will stand up for the dignity and future of these people," he said.
Of the 36 hospitals in Gaza, only 17 are partially operational and less than 40 per cent of clinics remain open. Dr Ryan emphasised that the current crisis is unprecedented, saying: “We’d like to avoid saying that the health system in Gaza is ‘collapsed’ because, in some senses, that’s almost an insult to the health workers of Gaza, who’ve managed to keep the system running despite horrific challenges.
“The only reason that system is still functioning is because of the Palestinian doctors, nurses, physios, pharmacists and others who stay at their posts. Some are not being paid, some bring their families to work.” He recounted a sobering comment from a colleague: “I would rather we die together than die separately."
Speaking of the difficulties of providing aid, especially since the closure of the Rafah border crossing, Mr Brennan said: “We’ve conducted around 95 missions but we’ve had about 200 requests. The rest were declined, impeded or cancelled."
In September, the Israeli army acknowledged the destruction of about 96,000 homes in Gaza, claiming they were booby-trapped. The tally was said to include 14,000 homes in Rafah.
The WHO has managed to deliver essential supplies, such as fuel, medicine and limited food, to hospitals like Al Awda and Al Shifa in the last couple of weeks and has led medical evacuations from the north of Gaza. "It's sometimes challenging to get the clearance and approvals for those missions," Mr Brennan said.
Currently, the WHO oversees 16 emergency medical teams within Gaza, supported by 30 to 40 NGOs. It co-ordinates health services and supply logistics through the “health cluster”, which includes NGOs, international organisations and local staff.
Dr Ryan said: “The WHO is co-ordinating the emergency medical teams at the hospital level, NGOs providing primary health care and other services, and logistics for supplies.”
The WHO has also led polio vaccination efforts, reaching more than 94 per cent of targeted children. “The polio campaign has probably been the most successful of all the public health interventions that we’ve done,” Dr Ryan said.
Dr Ryan also discussed UNRWA’s role in supporting Palestinians, explaining that the UN created the agency to fulfil obligations under international law.
“UNRWA was created by the United Nations and its member states to support the suffering of the Palestinian people. If UNRWA’s services aren’t provided, it’s Israel’s legal responsibility to provide them,” he said, adding, “UNRWA was doing Israel’s job.” He underscored the importance of the agency’s work, noting the objective to keep the integrity of the Palestinian people intact.
Dr Ryan acknowledged the UAE’s critical support, saying: “The UAE has been a vital partner, providing day-to-day support, charter flights and the airlift of supplies.” He stressed that co-operation from partners such as the UAE will be just as essential when it’s time to rebuild Gaza.
"Our job is not to be political. We don’t take sides. Our role will be to help the Palestinian people reconstruct their health system,” he said. “Countries like the UAE have an important role to play now in this crisis and, just as importantly, when it’s time to rebuild.
“We are particularly happy about the co-operation on these medical evacuations. With the closure of the Rafah [crossing], the UAE has been the only real source of significant evacuations."
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
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