Important assessment from the Palestinian Minister of Health
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila stated that the health sector in the Gaza Strip is in a dire situation, noting that 300 healthcare workers have been killed and 108 ambulances, along with various hospitals, have been targeted by Israeli military attacks.
AA
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, al-Kaila made these remarks during a meeting in Ramallah with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
During the meeting, where the situation in Gaza was discussed, al-Kaila noted that the Israeli army has bombed approximately 108 ambulances and that 11 out of 36 hospitals are only partially operational due to the attacks.
DISEASE WARNING ISSUED
Al-Kaila stated that 300 healthcare workers have lost their lives in the attacks, including 50 doctors and 80 nurses, and that 38 doctors, most notably Al-Shifa Hospital Director Muhammad Abu Salmiya, are still being held in poor conditions.
Stating that public health in Gaza also threatens neighboring countries, al-Kaila warned that due to population density in shelters, lack of sufficient food and water, and poor sanitation, diseases such as hepatitis, respiratory infections, and bloody diarrhea, as well as skin diseases, could spread across borders.
During the meeting, al-Kaila also expressed that the Palestinian wounded she visited last month in hospitals in the Egyptian city of Al-Arish included severe cases, with children among them who had suffered amputations of their hands and feet.
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila requested that the Red Cross pressure Israel to facilitate the transfer of wounded and sick individuals from Gaza and to allow the entry of doctors, food, and medical supplies.