Dr. Ashraf al-Qidra, the official spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, called for an immediate halt to the Israeli occupation’s crimes against Palestinian civilians. The death toll has now reached 1,900, including 614 children and 370 women. Additionally, 7,696 Palestinians have been injured, including 2,000 children and 1,400 women.
Al-Qidra stressed that the Israeli occupation had deceived Palestinian citizens, forcing them into forced displacement and then escalating its crimes by targeting them this afternoon. Approximately 200 Palestinians, including martyrs and wounded, were victims of this targeting. It was witnessed by the world that all the victims of this targeting were entire families, including unborn children. Three ambulances were targeted, injuring 10 of their crews during the evacuation of the wounded.
He explained that the Israeli occupation’s crimes against Palestinian families had led to the annihilation of 50 families inside their homes during their forced displacement. These massacres claimed the lives of 500 of their members. The Israeli occupation deliberately targeted and killed medical and ambulance staff during their humanitarian missions to evacuate the victims of the aggression, resulting in the deaths of 15 medical personnel and the injury of 27 others.
Al-Qidra also noted that the Israeli targeting of ambulances had led to the destruction of 23 ambulances, rendering them out of service and significantly undermining the ambulance capacity in the field. The Israeli occupation’s deliberate targeting of hospitals and health facilities poses a threat to the lives of patients and the injured, resulting in damage to 15 health facilities, with many of them going out of service.
The Israeli attacks forced the evacuation of the al-Durrah Children’s Hospital in eastern Gaza, with patients and medical staff being transferred to the al-Nasser Children’s Hospital. This comes after al-Durrah Hospital was targeted with phosphorus bombs, making it the second hospital to go out of service due to Israeli targeting, following Beit Hanoun Hospital.
Al-Qidra stressed that Israeli violations against medical staff, health institutions, and ambulance units constitute a blatant violation of international laws, conventions, and norms that emphasize the protection of medical staff and their facilities during conflicts and wars.
He pointed out that the intensification of the Israeli aggression, central targeting, and repeated attacks on residential neighborhoods and the cutting of roads leading to hospitals presented a significant challenge to ambulance and civil defense crews in evacuating the victims of the aggression. Many of them remain under the rubble. He warned of the serious consequences of cutting off electricity supplies to thousands of patients and injured individuals, as the fuel for electricity generators in hospitals is running out.
Al-Qidra called for the immediate opening of a secure corridor to ensure the arrival of medical supplies, fuel, delegations, ambulances, and allowing hundreds of wounded and patients to leave before it’s too late.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with the death toll rising and numerous medical and humanitarian challenges. The Palestinian Ministry of Health continues to call for international intervention to stop the violence and ensure the delivery of essential medical supplies and assistance to those in need. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza has garnered widespread international concern and calls for a ceasefire and peaceful resolution.
