Ramallah , The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has affirmed that targeting hospitals in the Gaza Strip, whether through airstrikes or fuel depletion, represents the gravest crime of genocide committed by the Israeli occupation forces. It is a major crime against humanity, equivalent to an Israeli death sentence for hundreds of Palestinian civilians.
In a statement released today, the ministry expressed that the depletion of the remaining fuel supplies needed to operate generators in the few hospitals operating in the Gaza Strip, especially Al Shefa Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital, poses a real catastrophe and collective death for thousands of patients who require medical treatment and care.
The statement further emphasized that the disaster threatens patients in the intensive care units, children, infants, and individuals in need of immediate, non-delayable surgical procedures. Additionally, those who have undergone surgeries require urgent care and other cases that face imminent death if the hospitals cease to operate, as happened with the Turkish Friendship Hospital, which stopped functioning due to fuel depletion, resulting in significant risks for hundreds of cancer patients.
The Ministry urged all donor countries that have been involved in building and supporting the construction and operation of the hospitals in danger of closure in the Gaza Strip to take immediate action to prevent their closure and halt their humanitarian work. It also called on the international community to reject such actions and take the necessary steps to provide them with fuel immediately.
Earlier today, the Palestinian Minister of Health, Mai Al Kaila, announced that the Turkish Friendship Hospital, which is dedicated to treating cancer patients in the Gaza Strip, has stopped operating. This was due to it being targeted by the Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday and the complete depletion of fuel. She highlighted that the lives of 70 cancer patients in the hospital are now in serious jeopardy, as there are approximately 2,000 cancer patients in the Gaza Strip living in catastrophic health conditions as a result of the ongoing aggression.
The Minister pointed out that with the Turkish hospital ceasing operations, the number of hospitals that have stopped functioning in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli airstrikes and fuel depletion has reached 16 out of 35. She also warned that the Al Shefa hospital will also stop operating within less than 24 hours due to fuel depletion.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had earlier warned that its fuel supply would run out soon, putting the humanitarian response in Gaza at risk. They emphasized that without fuel, there would be no water, hospitals, or functioning bakeries, which would exacerbate the suffering of children, women, and people in Gaza.
Source: Qatar News Agency