GENEVA, /PNN / 

Seventeen member states and Palestine, which has special status, submitted a draft resolution to the World Health Organization (WHO), demanding that Israel fully respect its obligations to protect medical and humanitarian personnel in the Gaza Strip after two months of Israeli aggression.

The draft resolution is scheduled to be considered on Sunday during a special session of the Executive Council of the World Health Organization held to discuss “the health situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.”

The bill was submitted by Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, China, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen.

The draft resolution states: “The Executive Council expresses its deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, especially regarding the military operations in the Gaza Strip.”

The text expresses concern about “the blockade being imposed” and the extent of “the significant damage to the public health sector.”

It also talks about the risks that could be posed to public health by the presence of “thousands of victims still buried under the rubble,” as well as the poor hygiene conditions and overcrowded shelters.

The draft resolution calls on the Israeli occupation authorities to "ensure respect and protection for all medical and humanitarian workers whose activities are limited to medicine, their means of transportation and equipment, as well as hospitals and other medical facilities."

It also calls on "the occupying authority to facilitate uninterrupted, orderly, free, safe and unhindered passage for medical and humanitarian workers."

The draft resolution calls on the international community to “mobilize sufficient funding to meet the immediate and future needs of WHO health programs” and “to rebuild the Palestinian health system, in close cooperation with the World Health Organization and specialized institutions of the United Nations.”

The Executive Council of the World Health Organization includes 34 member states, elected for a three-year term from each of the organization’s regions. It plays a role in implementing the decisions of the World Health Assembly.