Over a year has passed since Israel began its war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, which has gotten worse in recent months due to an increase in bombing and airstrikes, causing the humanitarian and medical situation to completely worsen.
Given that medical facilities are being targeted and lack the capacity to provide medical care, this crisis brings to light the suffering of patients and calls for immediate international action to save lives.
The World Health Organisation reported on Friday that 12,000 patients in the Gaza Strip were in urgent need of medical evacuation, but only eight patients were evacuated through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism.
The suffering of tens of thousands of residents who lack access to basic medical care is reflected in the cases of these patients, who suffer from critical conditions and chronic illnesses.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, said in the same context that several European nations—including Belgium, Spain, and Romania—received the patients who had been evacuated and thanked them for their assistance. The majority of patients in Gaza, however, still have no chance of being evacuated.
Targeting hospitals
A new war crime occurred when Israeli occupation aircraft struck the northern Gaza Strip’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, killing 16-year-old Mahmoud Abu Al-Aish and a wheelchair-bound patient while injuring other patients and medical personnel.
The occupation army occupied the hospital for hours, detained several patients and medical personnel, and compelled everyone to leave under threat, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
According to medical sources, hundreds of patients’ lives were in danger because the attack seriously damaged medical equipment, including oxygen generators.
“Catastrophic” is how hospital director Hussam Abu Safiya characterised the situation, citing the lack of medications and medical supplies as well as the ongoing attacks on medical personnel and facilities.
Comprehensive destruction of the health system
In addition to direct attacks that destroyed hospitals and health centres, the World Health Organisation reports that over half of Gaza’s medical facilities have ceased operations due to a shortage of electricity and fuel.
The humanitarian and health conditions have also been made worse by the mass displacement of over 1.9 million people.
The World Health Organisation reported that 137 direct attacks targeting the health infrastructure in the Strip since the start of the occupation war have killed over 521 people inside health facilities, including 16 health workers.
Tragic humanitarian conditions
The tightened blockade and ongoing shelling are causing a severe famine in the Gaza Strip, particularly in the northern part of the Strip.
There is a severe lack of clean water, food, and fuel, and two million Gazans are reportedly living in substandard humanitarian conditions in tents that do not shield them from the winter’s cold or the summer’s heat.el.
Due to a strict blockade, the population of Gaza is directly targeted by the health and humanitarian infrastructure, resulting in an unprecedented humanitarian and health disaster.
International action is urgently needed to end Israeli violations, open humanitarian corridors, and guarantee that the populace has access to healthcare. The humanitarian situation in the Strip is made worse by the ongoing situation, which poses a major threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands.
