Human RightsPalestine

Gaza healthcare on verge of collapse: Health officials

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Health officials in the Gaza Strip say a severe energy crisis is pushing the healthcare system in the blockaded coastal sliver to the verge of collapse.

Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra warned on Monday that some hospitals in the territory could stop operating within hours.

Al-Qidra said that the “Shifa Hospital, Kamal Adwan Hospital, the European Gaza Hospital, and Rantisi Hospital could stop offering services because they are about to run out of fuel.”

The official added that the situation in Gaza is at its worst point since the Health Ministry was established about two decades ago.

Gaza’s healthcare crisis has been fueled by Israel’s eight-year siege, which has deprived the residents of the most basic items like food, medicine and fuel.

The blockaded territory has been struggling to produce enough power for months.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has warned of a serious shortness of pharmaceutical supplies and medicine in Gaza.

The besieged Palestinian territory is still suffering from a 50-day Israeli war that was launched last summer and that left 17 of its 32 hospitals and 50 of its 97 health centers damaged or destroyed. Some 2,130 Palestinians also lost their lives in the war, while 11,000 others were injured.

Gazan hospitals have also witnessed a number of strikes by staff members protesting against poor working conditions and low pay.

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