“If they don’t die from shelling, they will die from lack of medical care.”
Muhammad Abu Salima, director of Al Shifa Hospital, the largest medical institution in the Gaza Strip ruled by the Palestinian armed group Hamas, told the New York Times on the 15th (local time), “In the Gaza Strip, there are (new) patients in the intensive care unit and even the operating room. “There is no place that can accommodate them,” he said.
According to foreign media, hundreds of people flock to each hospital in the Gaza Strip every day, but all but the seriously injured are sent home. Moreover, with Israel completely blocking water, electricity, food, fuel, and medical supplies entering the Gaza Strip starting on the 8th, the medical system is on the verge of collapse. As concerns over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip grew, Israel announced on the 15th that it had resumed water supply to southern Gaza, but power to pump water has not been restored. Local medical staff reported that as the number of deaths increased, bodies were temporarily stored in ice cream freezers and refrigerated trucks.
The United Nations (UN) warned today that hospitals in the Gaza Strip only have 24 hours worth of electricity left. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, “If even auxiliary generators are shut down, the lives of thousands of patients could be at risk.”
International aid organizations are no longer able to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people due to the interruption of the inflow of supplies. According to the Egyptian Red Crescent (Islamic Red Cross), an aircraft carrying relief supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO), Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, etc. landed in El Ari, Egypt, about 45 km away from the Rafah checkpoint connecting Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Arrived at the city’s international airport and waiting for entry permission. On the 16th, there were reports that the United States, Israel, and Egypt had agreed to a temporary ceasefire in the southern Gaza Strip and to open the Rafah checkpoint, but Israel denied this.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement on this day, urging Hamas to release the hostages unconditionally and emphasizing Israel’s access to humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. President Guterres said, “The Middle East is on the verge of falling into abyss,” and added, “The two goals (release of hostages and humanitarian aid) are each valid in and of themselves. “They should not be used as bargaining chips,” he appealed.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.