“1000s Of Wounded With No Access To Treatment”: Surgeon Warns of Critical Medical Shortages In Gaza
As the world silently watches the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza in the aftermath of the recent deadly Israeli attacks, a dire crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Gaza Strip, with thousands of wounded individuals facing a critical lack of access to medical treatment. Renowned surgeon Ghassan Abu Sitta has issued a chilling warning, stating that the escalating crisis may lead to the death of many more due to the severe shortage of medical facilities.
According to Abu Sitta, there are no longer functional hospitals in Gaza City, and the entire northern part of the strip relies on a single hospital to address the pressing medical needs of the population. The overwhelming number of wounded individuals, coupled with the scarcity of medical resources, paints a grim picture for the residents of Gaza as Israel has left no stone unturned in attacking all the medical facilities in the Strip.
“All across the Gaza Strip, there are thousands of wounded with no access to treatment. Now there are no more hospitals in Gaza City, and a single hospital in the whole of the northern part of the strip. Many of them will die of these wounds, if not most,” warns Abu Sitta.
All across the Gaza Strip there are thousands of wounded with no access to treatment. Now there are no more hospitals in Gaza City and a single hospital in the whole of the northern part of the strip many of them will die of these wounds. If not most.
— Ghassan Abu Sitta (@GhassanAbuSitt1) November 16, 2023
His comments, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, come as another hospital in Gaza’s north – al-Ahli Arab Hospital – is currently under siege by Israeli tanks.
Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Al Shifa hospital said “no one can reach or leave the besieged hospital”.
“People inside will die if no aid reaches them and many patients in need of urgent medical needs could die if they cannot reach the hospital on time,” the director of Gaza’s largest hospital told Al Jazeera.
The already distressing situation in Gaza has taken a turn for the worse as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced in the evening about the suspension of cross-border aid operations at the Rafah Crossing. The move comes amid a complete breakdown in the communications network in Gaza, attributed to a critical shortage of fuel.
In a statement released, UNRWA”s Gaza team emphasized that there will be no cross-border aid operation at the Rafah Crossing on Friday due to the incapacitated communications infrastructure. The absence of a functioning network makes it impossible for humanitarian organizations to manage or coordinate aid convoys, further exacerbating the challenges faced by the already vulnerable population.
From our📍#Gaza team @TomWhite:
There will NOT be a cross-border aid operation at the Rafah Crossing tomorrow.
The communications network in #Gaza is down because there is NO fuel.
This makes it impossible to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys. pic.twitter.com/Kaj8z0lE9f
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 16, 2023
As of Wednesday, the death toll in Palestine stood at 11,470, of whom 4,407 are children.
