Condemning Gaza’s ‘unmitigated colonial oppression’
At San Francisco State University, one of dozens of US colleges where students have launched pro-Palestinian demonstrations amid the war on Gaza, assistant professor Omar Zahzah says he is “moved” by the mobilisation.
“Watching people on my campus say we also need to be a part of this, we need to stand up and say, ‘No more’, it’s incredibly moving,” Zahzah told Al Jazeera.
“It really just makes you feel that no matter what happens, no matter how high the stakes are … we’re all coming together as part of a broader ethical collectivity that is ready to do whatever it takes to make sure that this does not continue through our institutions, in our names.”
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WHO sounds alarm on state of healthcare in Rafah
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the UN’s World Health Organization, says on X that hospitals in southern Gaza only have three days of fuel left to power their operations.
Yesterday, Israel seized and closed the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, effectively cutting off the Strip from the outside world and the hundreds of aid trucks piled up at the Egyptian border. “Without fuel all humanitarian operations will stop. Border closures are also impeding delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza”, Tedros said.
He added: “One of the three hospitals in Rafah, Al-Najjar, is no longer functioning due to the ongoing hostilities in its vicinity and the military operation in Rafah.”
Echoing calls of world political and humanitarian leaders, Tedros also pleaded for a halt to military operations in Rafah, which the Israeli army has said will move forward with or without a ceasefire deal.
MAP confirms shutdown of al-Najjar Hospital, Rafah’s largest
Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) says it has received an update from Dr Marwan Homs, head of al-Najjar, who said the hospital is no longer functioning because all staff have been ordered to evacuate.
“This was Rafah’s largest hospital,” MAP said.
“This means Rafah’s already overstretched and underresourced health system is now left with only Kuwaiti Hospital, which is an NGO hospital with around [a] 16-bed capacity; Marwani field hospital, which is only a trauma stabilisation point; and Al-Emairati Hospital, which is only a maternity hospital,” it added.
Deir el-Balah’s only water station faces crisis as thousands flee Rafah
Video footage shared by an Al Jazeera photographer shows crowds of Palestinians waiting for their turn to collect water at the only station in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.
The situation has been exacerbated by the flight of thousands of displaced people from Rafah to Deir el-Balah, straining the water supply.
Ismail Shallah, who was displaced from Shujayea to Rafah and now to Deir el-Balah, said, “We have fled the shelling, we are exhausted from the war. I have been waiting for an hour and a half for my turn to get drinking water.”
Um al-Abed, another displaced person from Rafah, shared her experience: “I walked for an hour in search of water and found myself at this station. It may be undrinkable water, especially since my child has respiratory problems and needs clean water.”
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