The United Nations issued a report on Thursday, August 11th, which revealed that an average of 50 patients with extremely severe cases, including cancer patients, are including cancer patients are daily denied access to treatment, surgeries, and necessary care, ever since the last closure of the Erez crossings.

The report said that since the beginning of the last round of Israeli aggression on Gaza, the entry of 14 portable x-ray machines and spare parts for medical devices has been delayed.

In light of the inability of the health system in the Gaza Strip to provide treatment services to them, as a result of the lack of specialized medical staff, and the chronic shortage of medicines and medical supplies, especially radiotherapy and laboratory materials needed to conduct diagnostic tests. The most urgent health needs are estimated at $2 million, including medicines and consumables, laboratory supplies, and fuel for major hospitals.

It is noteworthy that 47 Palestinians were killed during the last aggression, including 16 children, in addition to the injury of hundreds of people, including 151 children and 58 women.

Six hospitals worked to activate emergency preparedness plans in the recent aggression, in addition to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, and Al-Quds Hospital increased the capacity of its beds in the event that it had to receive additional numbers of patients from Al-Shifa Hospital.

In its report, the United Nations warned of an increase in high levels of trauma, stress, and psychological disorders.

Is worth noting that Alshifa hospital lacks, staff and supplies to the extent that doctors have to perform an average of 65 to 70 hours a week, during normal work days, a number that is subject to increase during times of Israeli military escalation.

In an interview, we held yesterday with doctor Baker AbuJarrad best know for a picture of him that went viral as he was manually holding and pressing a saline bag in an attempt to retrieve vital signs for a patient who came in with severe injuries caused by an Israeli airstrike in the latest round of attack on Sunday the 7th of August 2022.

The source disclosed that aside from the already hopeless injuries that they see the most frustrating thing they experience is seeing those with the hope of survival lose their chance as they wait hours for getting permits and clearances from the Israeli occupation authorities to be transferred to hospitals in the west bank or the occupied areas of the strip reaching a level of irreversible damage and become hopeless cases.

He added that at times a patient’s permit arrives only to have their escort rejected, needing to again refile for another permit while losing time imperative for their survival.

While some of the doctors at al-Shifa have the intellectual ability and experience to perform far more complex procedures the lack of tools and machinery render their abilities to be performed here impossible staying yet again under the mercy of an occupier that places difficulty in allowing these instruments into the strip and patients ability to leave for treatment elsewhere.

Closing crossings and not allowing Palestinian patients with serious conditions to travel for treatment, especially after rounds of confrontations, is considered a perpetuation of a policy of collective punishment against more than two million Palestinian citizens residing in the Gaza Strip, and a serious violation of international humanitarian law, especially the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.

This is confirmed by the statement made by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Wednesday, August 5th, in which he links the humanitarian and living conditions of the residents of the Strip to ‘Israel’s’ security. This is a continuation of the Israeli approach based on collective punishment and revenge against the civilian population.