| Online: | |
| Visits: | |
| Stories: |
Gaza healthcare services on brink of collapse as death toll climbs
Healthcare services in Gaza are on the brink of collapse as the death toll climbs amid a shortage of medical supplies and fuel for hospital generators, the WHO has warned. Ninety Palestinians have been killed so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
As Israel escalated its airstrikes on Thursday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the death toll had reached 90 people, while the number of injured had climbed to 500.
Israeli soldiers gather in an army deployment area near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip on July 10, 2014.(AFP Photo / Menahem Kahana )
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that Palestinian healthcare services are not able to handle the wave of people requiring medical attention.
“A hospital, three clinics and a water desalinisation centre in a refugee camp have also been damaged. More air strikes and missile attacks are likely,” the WHO said in a statement.
“The recent escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip raises concern about the ability of the government and the Ministry of Health of the occupied Palestinian territory to cope with the increased burden of medical emergencies on the health system, given the high levels of shortages of medicines, medical disposables and hospital fuel supplies, and rising healthcare debt,” it added.
The organization is calling on donors to contribute $40 million for essential healthcare supplies by the end of 2014 and another $20 million to repay the debt owed to East Jerusalem hospitals.
Meanwhile, international pressure has been increasing for both Israel and Hamas to deescalate the conflict.
US President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington is willing to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Source: http://rinf.com/alt-news/war-terrorism/gaza-healthcare-services-brink-collapse-death-toll-climbs/
