Rafah cannot accommodate 1.3mln displaced people, warns Gaza MoH

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
13 Jan 2024 19:54

The Gaza Strip urgently requires at least 1300 food trucks daily to alleviate the state of hunger.

A Palestinian boy displaced by the Israeli genocidal war plays with an umbrella outside a makeshift tent in Rafah, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2023. (AP)

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza affirmed that the infrastructure, health, and service facilities in the southern Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah, are fragile and cannot withstand the accommodation of the needs of 1.3 million residents and displaced individuals. The Ministry warned of the spread of epidemics among the displaced, especially children and the elderly.

In a statement, the Ministry explained that the Israeli occupation continues to target health crews, noting that dozens have already been martyred by air raids directly targeting them, while others have been detained by the occupation forces. As such, only 6 ambulances remain operational in the sector.

The Ministry called on international community institutions and human rights organizations to urgently bring in devices, equipment, medicines, and medical teams from outside the Strip for assistance.

Additionally, in its statement, the Ministry urged the evacuation of the wounded from Gaza to receive treatment abroad, stating, "We are still struggling to operate some essential services, including intensive care units and child nurseries."

On its part, the Government Media Office stated that Gaza and the northern provinces urgently need 1300 food trucks, daily, "to overcome the state of hunger." It noted that the occupation deliberately aims to cause a real famine in Gaza. The IOF even killed 14 Palestinians who had attempted to obtain food, while around 800,000 people in southern and northern Gaza are at risk of dying from hunger.

The Media Office pointed out that as part of the policy of starvation and thirst imposed by the occupation since the beginning of the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, all drinking water pipelines, wells, and containers have been systematically targeted, thus making life in the Strip impossible.

Additionally, it highlighted that the occupation has forcefully displaced Palestinians to Rafah, claiming it was a "safe zone" only to later bomb it and thus commit horrendous massacres against them.

The Office held the international community, the United States, and "Israel" fully responsible for the catastrophic consequences of the Israeli occupation's war on the Gaza Strip and the deaths of Palestinians due to famine and thirst. The Office further urged them to immediately stop this genocidal war and halt the killing and targeting of civilians, children, and women.

Our correspondent in northern Gaza confirmed that despite the withdrawal, the occupation is still committing massacres, with the latest occurring this morning in al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City.

It has also been reported that the Israeli fighter jets have targeted the vicinity of the Khalifa bin Zayed School, where hundreds of displaced people sought refuge.

Day 99: 23,843 martyrs, 60,317 injured

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has released the latest toll of martyrs and injured in the Gaza Strip on the 99th day of the Israeli aggression.

Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Ministry, said the occupation committed massacres against 12 families in the Gaza Strip, killing 135 people and injuring another 312 in the last 24 hours. Al-Qudra said that a large number of victims remain under their rubble in areas that emergency services cannot reach.

In total, the number of martyred individuals in the Gaza Strip has risen to 23,843 while 60,317 people were injured, according to the spokesperson.

Al-Qudra explained that the toll means that every 1 in 20 people living in the Gaza Strip have either been martyred, wounded, or reported missing due to the Israeli war on the Palestinian territory.

He described Israeli actions in Gaza as the "most criminal and bloodthirsty throughout history," all unfolding under the eye of the international community.

One of the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation resulted in the killing of 20 individuals in al-Daraj neighborhood, in Gaza City, whose bodies were retrieved earlier in the morning by the Civil Defense.