The spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, said that the Israeli occupation is deliberately liquidating the medical system in the northern Gaza Strip, which is now without health coverage for more than 500,000 people, in line with Israel’s policy of forced population displacement.
Al-Qudra added – in exclusive statements to Al-Jazeera Net – that the Israeli occupation forced those in Kamal Adwan Hospital to leave it under force of arms and continuous bombardment, and Al-Baptadi Hospital completely lost its medical and capacity, as the wounded bled to death due to the lack of health services.
The spokesman pointed out that the Ministry of Health “is trying to operate any section of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, such as emergency, operations, or intensive care, to save what can be saved, but operating this hospital faces great difficulties after the occupation greatly destroyed it,” and now “the working parts of it have become the only health platform.” operating in the northern Gaza area.
Al-Qudra called on international institutions to intervene urgently to protect the health system in all hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip, especially Al-Shifa Medical Complex, and “work to provide them with the necessary support in terms of medicines, medical supplies and fuel, so that we can provide life-saving health services to the wounded and sick.”
The spokesman for the Ministry of Health pointed out that the northern Gaza Strip area is now being annihilated en masse, as there is concentrated targeting of residential neighborhoods and the demolition of homes on the heads of their residents, and there is no place to reach to receive health services, and therefore we will witness a massive loss of life during this period.
Not any better
Al-Qudra said that the southern Gaza Strip “is not in better condition, and the health situation there is very disastrous, and we fear that the scenario of the northern Gaza Strip will be repeated in its south,” because the Israeli occupation is currently escalating military attacks on the Khan Yunis area.
He pointed out that the occupation attacks are pushing residents to flee towards the southern region, and the only hospital operating there is the Nasser Medical Complex, which is the largest in the region. We fear that the occupation will implement a scenario similar to what happened in the Shifa, Indonesian, or Baptist hospitals.
Regarding the health situation in the Rafah area, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza said that this area does not have appropriate medical services for the huge number of displaced people, and only 3 small hospitals with limited services are available, and thus the health reality – whether in the north or south of the Strip – faces A real liquidation by the Israeli occupation forces, which want to end the health presence within the Gaza Strip with the absence of any medical services.