2023-12-21 16:47:01
Hundreds of wounded people have died in the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the largest in the entire Strip, as a result of the lack of health services due to the Israeli offensive, denounced the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
“Northern Gaza hospitals are out of service”said the Ministry’s spokesman, Ashraf al Qudra.
The Shifa hospital suffered a ten-day Israeli military siege in November, which left it out of service and forced the evacuation of thousands of wounded and displaced people – including around thirty premature babies; but in recent weeks it had managed to partially recover its functioning.
Israel has accused Hamas of using the hospitals in the Strip as military barracks, hideouts and weapons warehouses, and with that pretext, it has besieged and attacked almost all the hospitals in the north of the enclave, the latest being Kamal Adwan, in Beit Lahia. ; and Al Awda, in Jabalia.
The Ministry of Health confirmed last night that the deaths in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli offensive exceed 20,000 – including more than 8,000 children – in 75 days of war.
In addition, it is estimated that some 6,700 bodies remain trapped under the rubble – 70% civilians – which would raise the death toll even further, and more than 52,600 people are injured.
Among the dead, 8,000 are children, 6,200 women, 310 medical personnel and 97 journalists, according to the Health count.
Overnight, at least 24 civilians were killed and others wounded in Israeli attacks on homes and areas housing displaced people near the European Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, the official Palestinian Wafa agency reported.
In total, 55 people have died throughout the enclave this morning, according to Wafa’s count.
“In the north of the Strip, the occupation air force dropped internationally banned phosphorus bombs on and around the Jabalia market area in the north of the Strip,” the Palestinian agency reported.
According to local testimonies, collected by Wafa, “occupation forces that were besieging the city and the Yabalia refugee camp broke into the homes of citizens and forced them to leave at gunpoint, before setting fire to several houses.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its ambulance center in Jabalia remained under siege by occupation forces, threatening the safety of 127 citizens, including medical staff and 22 wounded.
In Yabalia today the bodies of 30 still unidentified people were buried, says Wafa.
“The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is more catastrophic and heading towards the abyss due to the genocidal war of the occupation army, especially since more than 1.9 million people are displaced from their homes, in humanitarian conditions of misery. unprecedented,” the Hamas government denounced last night.
Hamas also stated that, given this situation, the humanitarian aid that arrives in dribs and drabs does not cover even 2% of the enclave’s needs, since they need at least 1,000 trucks a day of food, medicine, drinking water and other aid, as well as one million liters of fuel per day.
Since yesterday, the Gaza Strip has suffered a new communications blackout, without telephone or internet, the sixth since Israel’s ground offensive began on October 27.
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