RAMALLAH, Sunday, November 12, 2023 (WAFA) – Minister of Health, Mai Alkaila, said today that the Israeli occupation forces are committing atrocities right now against hospitals in the Gaza Strip, particularly the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, which is now surrounded by tanks from all directions.
In a press release, Alkaila pointed out that "Israeli occupation forces are not evacuating people from hospitals; instead, they are forcibly evicting the wounded and patients onto the streets, leaving them to face inevitable death. This is not evacuation but expulsion under the threat of arms."
"There is a catastrophe unfolding in hospitals, with patients now dying without receiving their treatments, such as children and adults with kidney failure who are perishing at home without undergoing dialysis sessions," stated Minister Alkaila.
The Health Minister confirmed the tragic death of 12 patients, including two newborns, inside Al-Shifa Medical Complex so far as a result of power outages and shortages of medical supplies.
She highlighted that all 3,000 cancer patients who were receiving treatment at Rantisi and Turkish hospitals have been abandoned to face imminent death following their forced eviction from these hospitals by the Israeli occupation forces.
"All pregnant women, especially those with high-risk pregnancies, are now in imminent danger as they cannot find anyone to provide them with medical care and services in Gaza. Every woman about to give birth will find no medical assistance," warned Minister Alkaila.
She further explained that patients and the wounded are unable to reach Al-Shifa Medical Complex, resulting in many losing their lives either while bleeding or due to the lack of essential medications and necessary treatments.
Alkaila highlighted the critical situation inside Al-Shifa Complex, where medical teams are unable to move between sections and buildings due to constant drone fire threatening anyone within the complex.
"Another danger threatening patients' lives is the inability of medical teams to bury 100 martyrs, whose bodies have started to decompose in the hospital courtyard. Stray dogs have reportedly attacked some of the bodies, and medical waste is piling up inside the hospital," she added.
Alkaila continued, "Patients are getting injured again while they are in the hospital beds as a result of the occupation's shelling of the medical complex. This shelling has affected water wells, oxygen stations, the main gate to the complex, and other facilities."
She pointed out that the wounded, patients, and medical teams not only lack proper medical care but also have nothing to eat. Additionally, water is cut off from the complex.
She emphasized that the solution now lies in supplying the medical complex with electricity, medical supplies, medications, and fuel. Otherwise, a safe evacuation of patients for treatment in Egypt is necessary, as hospitals in Gaza can no longer accommodate more wounded individuals.
M.N
