Palestinian official highlights weak health system in Gaza hospitals

The health capabilities in the hospitals of the Gaza Strip are weak and the fuel shortage is a major crisis for the health sector, a Palestinian medical official warned on Monday.

Munir al-Bursh, an official with the Gaza-based health authorities, said in a statement that 34 children have died due to severe food shortages in the northern region.

About 25,000 patients urgently needed treatment outside the Gaza Strip, but only 5,000 have managed to travel, he said, emphasizing that the situation in the Strip is extremely difficult, demanding the immediate opening of the Rafah crossing.

On Sunday and Monday, the Israeli military instructed tens of thousands of people residing in 19 blocs in Gaza City to immediately evacuate, according to a report published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday.

As of Monday, Al Ahli Baptist Hospital and the Patients Friends Association Hospital were evacuated in fear of intensified military activities that would render them inaccessible or non-functional, and critical patients were transferred to the Indonesian and Kamal Adwan Hospitals in North Gaza governorate, it added.

Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza's Civil Defense, warned that the situation in the Strip is "very dire and bitter" amid the Israeli army's entry from Gaza City's eastern areas and the presence of vehicles in the Shuja'iyya area east of the city since about 11 days ago.

He mentioned injuries and deaths on the roads are difficult for rescue teams to reach, urging for international intervention to pressure Israel to stop these crimes against innocent civilians in Gaza.

Israel has been waging a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli military killed 40 people and wounded 75 others, bringing the total death toll to 38,193 and injuries to 87,903 since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, the Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Monday.