Situation in southern Gaza hospitals catastrophic: Health Ministry

Tel Aviv, Dec 19

The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza on Tuesday said the situation of hospitals in southern Gaza is catastrophic and complex amid the raging war in the besieged enclave.

In an address to the media, Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation forces committed 16 "massacres and genocidal crimes" across the Gaza Strip, leading to the bombing of the Nasser Medical Complex.

The spokesman said that 13-year-old Donia Abu Mohsen was killed in an Israeli strike while she was on a treatment bed.

In the same period, 151 bodies and 313 injured persons had arrived in the hospital.

He also claimed that within just six hours, Israeli forces committed a massacre in the Al-Shifa Hospital, which led to the death of 26 displaced people.

"They then targeted a civilian car in front of the gate of Al-Shifax, which was transporting one of the wounded, which led to the death of two. The Israeli occupation forces deliberately liquidate the health presence in northern Gaza by destroying hospitals and arresting their staff," the spokesman said.

Hundreds of thousands of injured persons, pregnant women, children, and chronic patients in northern Gaza are currently without medical services, he further alleged

“The Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis was attacked twice in less than 12 hours yesterday (Monday) and operating rooms in hospitals in southern Gaza are overcrowded and cannot respond to the large numbers of critical, dangerous and complex injuries, which leads to the loss of many lives as they wait."

The Ministry appealed to international institutions to take urgent action to provide medicines, medical consumables, fuel, and specialised medical teams.

It said that Israeli forces have arrested 93 health personnel, including directors of hospitals, in northern Gaza.

Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7, at least 19,453 Palestinians have died in Gaza as of Tuesday.

According to the Health Ministry, 70 per cent of the overall fatalities include women and children.

Also, a total of 52,286 Palestinians have been injured, with many others remain unaccounted for, presumably buried under the rubble, it added.

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