Al-Qudra: 70% of medical aid entering Gaza does not meet basic needs

By Al Mayadeen English
21 Jan 2024 15:08
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The Gaza Health Ministry comments on medical aid entering the Strip, stating that hospitals in southern Gaza are unable to provide standard medical care.

A Palestinian child wounded in an Israeli airstrike is brought to Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (AP)

The Gaza Health Ministry's spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, confirmed on Sunday that Israeli occupation forces have, so far, detained 99 medical personnel, including hospital directors in northern Gaza.

Regarding the medical aid that entered Gaza, al-Qudra stated in an interview with Al Mayadeen that 70% of that medical aid falls outside the scope of the basic medical needs of the Strip.

Journalist Hisham Zaqqout reports that most medical aid, sent into Gaza, consists of COVID-19 kits, which the healthcare system in Gaza does not need.

The Ministry of Health said today that 70% of the medical aid that entered the Gaza Strip "is beyond the scope of our basic… pic.twitter.com/K9hkVSKFVN
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 21, 2024

In this context, the spokesperson pointed out that there has been no progress in the mechanism for the entry of necessary medical aid into the Gaza Strip.

Moreover, al-Qudra confirmed that hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip are unable to deliver regular healthcare services, highlighting that the situation surpasses their capabilities significantly.

Additionally, it was noted that numerous people with serious and complex cases are in line for surgical procedures, with a pressing need to prioritize among the injured.

Concerning the detainees held by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, al-Qudra asserted that the accounts of those in captivity under the occupation forces' custody corroborate their brutal torture in various forms.

In Gaza, two mothers are killed per hour: UN Women

According to a UN Women study issued on Friday, the Israeli occupation is killing two mothers every hour in Gaza since it began its aggression on October 7.

The death toll for Palestinians in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes is inching closer to 25,000 martyrs, with 62,388 individuals sustaining injuries.

In only 24 hours, the Israeli occupation committed 14 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, killing 165 and injuring 280.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous reported evidence that 70% of the victims in Gaza are women and children.

"These are people, not numbers, and we are failing them. That failure, and the generational trauma inflicted on the Palestinian people over these 100 days and counting, will haunt us all for generations to come," Bahous explained.

The research noted at least 3,000 women may have become widows and at least 10,000 children have lost their fathers.

Bahous added that the agency continues to call for an immediate ceasefire to ensure that "women and girls in Gaza receive the humanitarian assistance they need, including safety and protection, immediately and unimpeded."