GENEVA, May 22, 2026 (WAFA) – Minister of Health Majid Abu Ramadan warned of the total collapse of the Palestinian healthcare system.

Speaking at the 79th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Minister Abu Ramadan described what the Palestinian people were experiencing nowadays not merely as a humanitarian crisis or a health disaster, but rather as a crisis of humanity itself, touching on the survival of the Palestinian people.

He recounted the horrific details of the unprecedented catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip, pointing to the systematic destruction targeting hospitals, clinics, ambulances, laboratories, and pharmacies.

He highlighted grim scenes involving children undergoing amputations without anesthesia, pregnant women forced to give birth without adequate medical care, and cancer and chronically ill patients being deprived of life-saving treatment, amid a sharp rise in child malnutrition and the rapid spread of infectious diseases due to overcrowding and the destruction of sewage systems.

Minister Abu Ramadan stressed that the crisis extends to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where refugee camps are subjected to daily attacks and destruction, leading to the forced displacement of tens of thousands from the northern West Bank.

He underscored the indispensable role of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) as a lifeline for millions of refugees, and appealed to the international community to provide sustainable financial support to the health sector and the agency and calling on the UN agency to immediately resume its activities in clinics in refugee camps in the northern West Bank and reopen all departments of Qalqilya Hospital.

He also stressed the urgent need to provide immediate protection for medical personnel and hospitals, emphasizing that humanitarian aid must not be politicized.

K.F.