Prevent the Collapse of the Health System in the Gaza Strip Immediately

Statement by
The Health Sector at the Palestinian NGOs Network
Prevent the Collapse of the Health System in the Gaza Strip Immediately

The health sector at the Palestinian NGOs Network urgently appeals to human rights
and humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, People’s Health Movement and
the relevant international bodies, to exert every effort to prevent the complete collapse
of the health system in the Gaza Strip. Hospitals in Gaza are being targeted and being a
front for direct aggression and the Ministry of Health in Gaza is demanding for
international investigation committee to take action immediately, and save the lives of
the injured, patients, and those affected by the bloody aggression and genocide that
continued for more than 35 consecutive days, by the occupying power in light of an
international silence by the world, who does not move a finger to stop these heinous
crimes.
The health sector, is appealing to the world consciences, to act immediately and faster
than ever in light of the persistence of targeting the health sector by the occupation,
which led to the destruction and bombing of 120 health facilities, 18 hospitals and 40
health centres are completely out of service due to shelling and fuel shortages, the
martyrdom of 193 medical staff, and the destruction of more than 45 ambulances.
These data are a small part of the reality of what is happening on the ground.
Therefore, the health sector appeals and emphasizes the following:
- Criminalize the occupying power for practicing grave violations of the
international law.
- Move with immediate concrete steps to stop the series of continuous crimes
against the Gaza Strip, and to oblige the occupying power to stop targeting the
health facilities.
- Provide and bring fuel to the Gaza Strip, to supply hospitals and health facilities
that are about to collapse, so they can provide their services, and also to apply
pressure on the occupation to allow the entry of fuel without delay or hindrance.
- Secure the delivery of medical supplies to the wounded and sick, especially for
cancer patients and others with chronic diseases, and the entry of the necessary
medical equipment that helps save the lives of those injured by the bombing and
the genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip.
- Open safe humanitarian corridors immediately to ensure the transfer of the
wounded, injured and sick for treatment abroad, as soon as possible across the
Egyptian borders.
- The health sector welcomes the efforts to establish field hospitals to treat the
wounded but it also warns using this as a pretext to implement the plan of forced
displacement of our people in the Gaza Strip under the urgent need for
treatment.
- The health sector calls for international guarantees to prevent this plan because
those field hospitals that have been established on the Egyptian territories are
only to save the lives of citizens, not to displace people through the pretext of
medical and humanitarian aid.
- The health sector commends the complementarity efforts, the role of the
competent authorities in light of what is happening, the cooperation between all
civil and private sectors, and UNRWA along with the official authorities, for
providing treatment and medicine.
- We call on the Palestinian government to address the international bodies to
secure medical and pharmaceutical needs as soon as possible.
Until the moment this statement was prepared, the toll of the crimes of the Israeli
aggression against Gaza since October 7th is as follows:
-10,569 martyrs, including 4,324 children, 2,823 women, 6,499 elderlies
- 26,475 wounded
- 2,550 missing, including 1,359 children, most of them are under the rubble.
These terrifying data, which are likely to increase, require concerted efforts to hold the
occupying power accountable within clear mechanisms from the United Nations and its
institutions, as well as to ensure immediate international protection for the Palestinian
people until being freed from occupation.
Health Sector
Palestinian NGOs Network
8-11-2023