Press Release issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health
Health situation during the Israeli aggression on the cities and governorates of the Gaza Strip
🚨For the second day in a row, Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip continues by targeting overcrowded residential areas, as the death toll rose to 13 Palestinians, including a 5-year-old girl and a 23-year-old woman, and 114 civilians were wounded.
Here are some updates from the Ministry of Health:
🚨MOH declared the state of preparedness and readiness in all hospitals, especially emergency departments, operations, intensive care units, and ambulance stations.
🚨The Israeli attacks target residential areas, which raises the number of victims who are women, children, and civilians. Almost half of the population of Gaza is under the age of 14 years old.
🚨Medical staff in hospitals are working with severely degraded limited capabilities due to the Israeli siege that has been going on for 15 years.
🚨The pharmacological situation in the Ministry of Health is going through its lowest levels in years. Hospitals of the Ministry of Health are working at less than half of their capacity. Forty percent of medications, 32% of medical supplies, and 60% of laboratory consumables are out of stock.
🚨 The continued closure of the Beit Hanoun checkpoint in front of the movement of patients referred for treatment abroad. The Israeli occupation also prevents the care of patients locally by continuing to deny the entry of 24 x-ray devices, in addition, to spare parts for medical and diagnostic devices. The continued Israeli occupation and blockade affect the Ministry staff’s abilities to perform their work in vital departments.
🚨Due to lack of fuel to operate the electricity planet in the Gaza Strip because of closing the birders for five days, MoH countdown to stopping health services within 72 hours has started. Thus the coming hours are critical and challenging.
🚨Electricity shortages pose a serious threat to working in emergency departments, intensive care units, surgical departments, hemodialysis departments, laboratories, nurseries, laundries, and oxygen systems.
🚨Electricity shortages will lead to a further public health crisis through the suspension of desalination plants, sewage pumps, and water supply to homes, which may cause severe health and humanitarian disaster.
🚨The Ministry of Health announced a suspension of all outpatient clinics and scheduled surgeries to allow care to focus on the victims of the ongoing aggression. This suspension will impact the long-term health and well-being of civilians living in Gaza.
🚨The Ministry of Health calls on partners from international governmental and non-governmental organizations to take action to help Palestinians in Gaza immediately to meet their health needs.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health
Saturday 6th of August 2022