Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,
Like the rest of the world, all of us at WHO have been shocked, appalled and saddened by the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
The attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on the 7th of October that targeted Israeli civilians were horrific and unjustifiable.
At the same time, WHO is gravely concerned about the health and well-being of civilians in Gaza, who are suffering from bombardment and siege.
I also deplore the attacks on health care in both Gaza and Israel, which have led to deaths and injuries of health workers and patients on both sides.
Under international humanitarian law, all armed actors are obliged to actively protect health care.
The bomb that struck the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday night, and the loss of life it caused, regardless of who was responsible, cannot be tolerated.
Despite the airstrikes and the risks to their own security, the WHO team in Gaza has delivered lifesaving medical supplies, sufficient to care for 2000 patients. But much more is needed.
In Cairo last week, I met with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who agreed to facilitate the delivery of medical supplies to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
On Saturday, WHO delivered a planeload of supplies to Egypt from our logistics hub in Dubai, and a further four flights, with 40 metric tons of supplies, will arrive over the course of the next week.
These include trauma medicines to treat wounded patients, medicines for those with diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, and other essential health supplies to serve the needs of 300,000 people, including pregnant women.
We welcome Israel's announcement yesterday that it will not block the entry of water, food and medicines into Gaza from Egypt. Fuel is also needed for hospital generators, ambulances and desalination plants - and we urge Israel to add fuel to the life-saving supplies allowed to enter Gaza.
Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. We are working with the Egypt and Palestine Red Crescent Societies to deliver our supplies into Gaza as soon as the Rafah crossing is opened, hopefully tomorrow.
WHO has mobilised US$10 million dollars to support our response.
There's still time and opportunity to prevent the situation from escalating further.
WHO supports the United Nations Secretary-General's call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
We call for the immediate and safe release of hostages seized and taken into Gaza by Hamas and other armed groups, among them children, older people and those who need urgent medical care.
We continue to appeal to Israel and Hamas to abide by their obligations under international law to protect civilians and health care.
We appeal to Israel to restore supplies of electricity and water.
I wish to be clear that as a United Nations agency, WHO is politically impartial, and is committed to supporting the health and well-being of all Israelis and all Palestinians.
To that end, WHO established an official presence in Israel in 2019, in addition to our existing office in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The WHO representative to the occupied Palestinian territory, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, and our special representative to Israel, Dr Michel Thieren, are both with us online today and available to answer questions.
Thank you to both of you and other colleagues for your efforts in this terrible situation.
Bullets and bombs are not the solution to this situation. War will bring nothing but destruction and horror, and it will do nothing to make the region more secure - in fact, the opposite.
The only solution - the only hope - is dialogue, understanding and peace.
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While the crisis in Israel and Gaza is understandably dominating our headlines, there is another crisis that is being forgotten: Sudan.
Six months after the start of the fighting, the conflict in Sudan has had a devastating impact on people's lives and health across the country and beyond its borders.
More than 5.8 million people have been forced to flee their homes within and outside Sudan.
Sudan's health system was already overstretched before the war. Now it's at breaking point.
About 70% of hospitals in conflict-affected states are not functional.
Health workers have gone without pay for months and are regularly attacked, and health facilities are occupied, looted or destroyed.
WHO has verified 58 attacks on health care to date, which have killed 31 health workers and patients and injured 38.
People are dying from a lack of access to basic and essential healthcare and medication.
The rainy season in Sudan is further limiting access to vulnerable communities.
A cholera outbreak is spreading rapidly, while other outbreaks of malaria, measles and dengue continue to take lives.
We are also particularly concerned about the situation in Darfur. Many hospitals are reportedly inaccessible, and insecurity prevents humanitarian aid from being safely delivered.
Nearly half a million people have fled Darfur into Chad, many in immediate need of healthcare, including trauma care.
WHO has so far shipped over 1000 metric tons of health supplies to Sudan, and more is on its way. We have also launched 21 mobile health clinics to provide services to displaced people in various states.
We need the international community to show solidarity now. We need the steadfast commitment and support of our donors to continue to strengthen the response and meet the ever-mounting needs of the people of Sudan.
But the solution to this crisis is not fundamentally a humanitarian solution; it's a political solution.
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Even as WHO responds to the many crises in our world, we continue to work in a huge range of areas to support countries to strengthen their health systems and meet the everyday health needs of their populations.
Today, WHO published the latest edition of the Essential Diagnostics List - an evidence-based register to guide countries on the most important diagnostics to have available for health workers and patients.
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This year's list includes eight new tests, for hepatitis E, diabetes, endocrine disorders, reproductive, maternal and newborn health, and cardiovascular disease.
In total, the list now includes 216 tests.
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Also today, WHO is issuing new guidance for countries on regulating the use of artificial intelligence for health.
AI holds great promise for health, in terms of improving diagnosis and treatment, especially in areas with a lack of medical specialists.
But it also comes with serious challenges, including the potential for unethical data collection, cybersecurity threats and misinformation.
This new guidance outlines six areas for regulation of AI for health, to support countries to harness its potential, while minimising its risks.
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Finally, the influenza season is approaching in the northern hemisphere, even as hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 continue to increase.
During the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, circulation of influenza viruses declined because of the precautions societies and individuals were taking to prevent infection with COVID-19.
Flu is now back to levels similar to those seen before the pandemic.
The co-circulation of flu, RSV and COVID-19 can cause significant disruption to health systems.
To protect yourself and your loved ones, and to help take the strain off health systems, WHO recommends vaccination against both influenza and COVID-19, especially for high-risk groups.
Margaret, back to you.
