DaysofPal- The Director General of the Health and Society Association, Raafat Al-Majdalawi, revealed alarming details of the Israeli occupation forces’ (IOF) attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system during the recent genocidal war. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Al-Majdalawi stated that 520 attacks targeted hospitals, with 50% of Gaza’s healthcare facilities affected.
The relentless bombardment rendered 34 out of 38 hospitals completely out of service, severely crippling the healthcare infrastructure in the besieged territory. Al-Majdalawi further reported that over 100 ambulances were targeted and 2,260 medical personnel were arrested during the war, which ended with a ceasefire agreement last Sunday. Tragically, six employees of Al-Awda Hospital were martyred while the hospital was under siege.
In response to the devastation, efforts are underway to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system. A new hospital is being established in Nuseirat, central Gaza, in collaboration with international organizations.
Additionally, plans include constructing five primary health centers in northern Gaza, six in Gaza Governorate, a field hospital in Deir Al-Balah, and five centers in Khan Yunis and Central Gaza.
A report from the United Nations highlights the devastating impact of these attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system. The increasingly limited medical infrastructure prevented thousands of trauma patients from receiving timely and potentially life-saving treatment. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH), by the end of April 2024, 77,704 Palestinians had been injured, with many reportedly dying while waiting for hospitalization or treatment. By the end of June 2024, more than 500 medical professionals had been killed in Gaza since October 7.
The UN report also documented the use of heavy weapons and airdropped munitions with wide-area effects by the Israeli military in several attacks. For instance, in an airstrike on January 10 near Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Middle Gaza, it appears that an MK 83 munition was used, killing at least 12 people, including a journalist and several internally displaced persons, and injuring 35 others. The use of such explosive weapons in densely populated areas raises serious concerns about indiscriminate attacks.
In response to the devastation, efforts are underway to rebuild Gaza’s healthcare system. A new hospital is being established in Nuseirat, central Gaza, in collaboration with international organizations.
Additionally, plans include constructing five primary health centers in northern Gaza, six in the Gaza Governorate, a field hospital in Deir al-Balah, and five centers in Khan Yunis and Central Gaza.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stressed the need for accountability and immediate action: “It is essential that there be independent, thorough, and transparent investigations of all of these incidents and full accountability for all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law that have taken place. All medical workers arbitrarily detained must be immediately released.”
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