Palestinian Red Crescent warns of epidemics in Gaza
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The Palestinian Red Crescent Society warns after breaking the blockade on northern Gaza of an outbreak of diseases among internally displaced people.
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Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded youth after Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, by ambulance to the Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, May 4, 2024. (AP)
The Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza announced Monday that they have successfully broken the siege imposed on northern Gaza despite repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation forces on their crews.
The Red Crescent highlighted the severe fuel shortages that have forced them to halt the operation of 18 of their ambulances, raising concerns over the spread of diseases among displaced persons.
In a statement, the Red Crescent in Gaza called on international parties to urgently compel the Israeli occupation to adhere to international law. The organization emphasized the critical need for immediate intervention to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
Gaza martyrs to exceed 186,000
This comes after The Lancet, a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal, published a study predicting that the number of martyrs killed during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, both directly and indirectly, will exceed 186,000.
The journal based this estimate on the consideration that armed conflicts have indirect health effects that extend beyond the direct harm caused by violence.
The journal then explained, "Even if the conflict were to end immediately, many indirect deaths will continue to be recorded in the coming months and years due to causes such as reproductive diseases, infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases."
Additionally, it noted that "The total number of deaths is expected to be large given the intensity of this conflict, the devastated healthcare infrastructure, the severe shortage of food, water, and shelter, the inability of the population to move to safe places, and the loss of funding for UNRWA."
Given the more than 37,000 reported deaths in Gaza, it is not surprising to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be recorded in Gaza, the British journal stressed.
It added that using the estimated population of the Gaza Strip for 2022, which is 2,375,259 people, would translate to 7.9% of the total population in the sector.
Furthermore, The Lancet emphasized that an immediate and urgent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is necessary, "accompanied by measures to enable the distribution of medical supplies, food, clean water, and other resources to meet basic humanitarian needs."
It stressed that there is a "need to record the scale and nature of suffering in this conflict," and added, "Documenting the true scale is crucial for ensuring historical accountability and acknowledging the full cost of the war. "
