No hospitals operating in northern Gaza
Gaza’s Government Media Office says hospitals are no longer operating in the north of the besieged enclave.
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders and stepped up attacks in recent days as they’ve launched a new ground operation in northern Gaza, displacing about 100,000 people, according to the UN.
The Jabalia refugee camp has seen intense fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups. Displaced civilians say the situation on the ground is “disastrous”, with Israeli forces firing on UNRWA shelters and forcing large numbers of people to flee again.
Overcrowded Al-Aqsa Hospital is barely walkable as more patients stream in
Over the past two days, wounded patients have been transferred from various hospitals and field hospitals into the central area, particularly to Al-Aqsa Hospital.
An hour ago, we walked inside the hospital’s corridor. It is so overcrowded that we could barely walk. The rooms are packed with people. Every patient has at least one or two family members with them, literally staying on the floor.
The situation is getting dire by the hour. The overcrowded conditions are putting more pressure on medical staff and medical supplies, which are already barely enough due to the ongoing closure of the crossings.
This is the sixth day in a row of no entry of supplies, including fuel. We have been told by hospital officials that we are hours away from the hospital having to shut down major departments.
Red Cross sets up emergency field hospital in Rafah
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza to try to meet what they described as an “overwhelming” demand for health services since Israel’s military operation on Rafah began last week.
“People in Gaza are struggling to access the medical care they urgently need due, in part, to the overwhelming demands for health services and the reduced number of functioning health facilities,” the ICRC said.
On Monday, medical staff at the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah received an evacuation order from Israeli forces. According to the WHO, only a third of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and 30 percent of primary healthcare centres are functional in some capacity.
Gaza rescue efforts may stop due to lack of fuel, heavy equipment
Gaza’s civil defence crew is struggling to reach victims trapped under the rubble of bombed buildings, said a spokesperson for the agency, putting the lives of hundreds of injured Palestinians at risk.
Israeli forces “continue to target and destroy the heavy equipment that helps us recover the victims”, said the spokesperson at a press confernece outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah.
A severe fuel shortage is further straining rescue efforts, which may soon come to “a total halt”, added the spokesperson. “As we speak, hundreds of victims remain buried under the rubble and our teams are not able to recover them. These numbers are continuing to rise.”
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