GENEVA, (PIC)
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a warning on Friday that the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip would completely collapse if the fuel flow is halted due to the closure of the Rafah and Karm Abu Salem crossings.
The statement was made by WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris during the weekly press conference of the United Nations office in Geneva, regarding the dire situation in the besieged Gaza Strip, which is currently facing a destructive Israeli war.
Harris said that the organization has supported some health centers in Gaza, including Nasser Hospital, after Israel launched a ground attack on Rafah on May 6th. She mentioned that this action was taken as part of an emergency plan, despite the ground attack on Rafah in the southern part of the Strip.
She also mentioned that the WHO stores medical supplies in various hospitals, field hospitals, and specific areas.
Harris emphasized the importance of fuel entering the Gaza Strip, saying, “Without fuel, everything we do in our hospitals will come to a halt, and it will no longer be possible to perform life-saving treatments.”
She added, “Without fuel, regardless of what anyone does, the entire healthcare system will collapse.”
The UN official also stressed that the destruction of access to the healthcare system would be disastrous for everyone.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Strip’s Government Media Office (GMO) issued a warning on Friday that fuel supplies at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah would run out within 48 hours, which threatens to disrupt healthcare services and create a humanitarian crisis. This comes after Israel closed the crossings into the Strip for the fifth consecutive day.
In a statement, the GMO said, “The administration of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central governorate announced that fuel is about to run out within the next 48 hours, and thus healthcare and medical services will be suspended.”
The statement pointed out that this crisis could lead to deaths among patients and children, especially those in intensive care units and nurseries.
The GMO called on international organizations and institutions to urgently supply fuel to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital before it’s too late.
It also called for immediate intervention to supply all hospitals with fuel, rehabilitate them, and restore them before a humanitarian catastrophe claims the lives of thousands of Palestinians.
For the fifth consecutive day, the Israeli army continues to close the commercial crossing of Karm Abu Salem, and the Rafah crossing on the border between the Strip and Egypt remains closed for the fourth day after it was taken over on Tuesday.
The war on Gaza since October 7th has resulted in over 113,000 deaths and injuries, mostly children and women, with about 10,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and famine that have claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
Israel continues the war despite a resolution from the UN Security Council calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities, as well as a request from the International Court of Justice for immediate measures to prevent genocidal acts and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
