In an alarming announcement that has heightened tensions in the region, the Palestinian Ministry of Health revealed that the Israeli occupation forces have renewed their demands to evacuate 24 hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including the notable Al-Shifa Hospital, and have further threatened these medical facilities with bombing.
In its official statement released on Thursday, the ministry emphasized the gravity of the situation, drawing attention to the fact that the actual number of martyrs and wounded buried beneath the rubble far exceeds the figures that have been made public.
As of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, which commenced on 7th October, the ministry highlighted the grim statistics: 3,569 individuals have been martyred, while another 13,200 have been injured.
Offering corroborative data, the ‘Ma’an’ news agency, in its latest report on Thursday, detailed that the Gaza Strip alone has witnessed the martyrdom of over 3,500 individuals and more than 12,000 injured. In a similar vein, the West Bank has seen 69 martyrs and over 1,300 wounded since the onset of the aggression.
This demand for hospital evacuations underscores the alarming healthcare crisis in the Palestinian territories. The potential bombing of medical facilities, which serve as primary care providers for a significant number of injured and unwell individuals, would undeniably exacerbate an already dire situation. Such demands, coupled with the mounting casualty figures, spotlight the pressing need for international intervention to address and prevent further escalations in the region. The continued aggression and its resulting humanitarian toll emphasize the urgency of establishing a robust and lasting peace framework.