Gaza hospitals face health crisis

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza says the coast of sliver is facing an imminent health crisis due to lack of fuel and shortage of medicine in hospitals.

The ministry said the shortages are the direct result of Israel’s blockade and its refusal to allow in adequate amounts of commercial goods, a Press TV correspondent reported.

Fuel is required for electric generators and many patients risk dying.

Gaza hospitals and health centers require 200,000 liters of fuel monthly, because of the power outages and average outage of eight hours per day, our correspondent said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has appealed the international community to supply fuel to hospitals as soon as possible.

The ministry also called on Egypt to allow in commercial goods, including fuel, into Gaza after it permanently reopened the Rafah crossing for pedestrians on Saturday, but the border continues to be closed for trade.

Egypt kept the crossing largely closed after Israel imposed a blockade on the coastal strip in 2007. The siege has left nearly one and a half million Palestinians in dire need of basic supplies.

Enforcing the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, the regime of the ousted ruler of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, had refused to open the Rafah crossing since June 2007.