Palestinian Ministry of Health – Gaza
October 19, 2023
🚨Israeli forces are hindering medical efforts to rescue the wounded from demolished homes and buildings due to the direct targeting of ambulances and the destruction of roads leading to hospitals.
🚨 The death toll of the victims of the Israeli attack increased to 3,785 deaths, including 1,524 children, 1,000 women, and 120 elderly people, in addition to injuring 12,493 others, including 3,983 children and 3,300 women.
🚨 The targeting of health personnel led to the killing of 44 medical personnel and the injury of 70.
🚨Israeli forces appear to have deliberately targeted 23 ambulances, which are now completely out of commission.
🚨19 health facilities were directly or indirectly targeted, forcing work to stop in 14 health centers affiliated with the Ministry of Health’s primary care system in the Gaza Strip and the northern Gaza Strip. All health facilities are at risk of complete stoppage due to power outages and the severe shortage of fuel.
🚨Basic services at the Yemen Al-Saeed Hospital in Jabalia were stopped and diverted due to power outages and fuel shortages.
🚨Four hospitals were forced to stop services due to direct targeting: Beit Hanoun Hospital, Dora Children’s Hospital, Karama Hospital, and the International Eye Hospital.
🚨Hospitals in the Gaza Strip are struggling with severe bed overcapacity of 150% and more, with patients lying on the ground or ward corridors.
🚨The Ministry of Health is focusing its energies on continuing to provide primary care services in 18 health centers.
🚨There are no stocks of medicines, medical consumables, and fuel in hospitals. Any further delay in delivering medical supplies to the Gaza Strip will lead to more preventable death and injury.
🚨We call on the international community and all medical and humanitarian institutions to import the emergency medical needs of the hospitals of the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.
🚨We renew our call to the Israeli forces to immediately cease fire on medical personnel, hospitals, ambulances, and places where citizens who were forced to leave their homes sought safety. We renew our call to the International community to exert maximum pressure on Israel to ensure it complies with International law and its basic humanitarian obligations.