Bethlehem/PNN /
The Ministry of Health announced on Thursday evening an increase in the toll of martyrs and casualties among our people as a result of the continuous aggression since October 7th last year on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, reaching 11,208 martyrs and approximately 29,500 wounded.
The Ministry, in its daily report on the aggression, stated that 11,025 martyrs fell in the Gaza Strip, with over 27,000 injured, while in the West Bank, 183 martyrs were reported, and the number of casualties rose to around 2,500.
Among the martyrs, 4,506 were children, 3,027 were women, and 678 were elderly. The number of missing individuals reached approximately 2,700, including more than 1,500 children, constituting 74% of the martyrs.
The report highlighted the cessation of operations in 19 out of 35 hospitals housing facilities for internal patients. Additionally, 71% of all primary care facilities in Gaza were closed due to damages or fuel shortages.
Doctors are still forced to conduct surgeries without anesthesia, amputations, including those injured from bombings, and women undergoing cesarean sections.
The Ministry mentioned 117,000 internally displaced persons alongside medical and health personnel, and thousands of patients residing in healthcare facilities.
It was noted that around 1.6 million citizens have been internally displaced in Gaza, equivalent to over 70% of the Strip's population. Approximately 160,000 forcibly displaced individuals are located in 57 UNRWA facilities in the north.
Fifteen percent of the internally displaced persons suffer from various disabilities. The majority of the shelters are insufficient to meet their needs, and a public health disaster looms amidst mass displacement and shelter overcrowding.
The occupying forces targeted a UNRWA-affiliated school in Gaza City housing thousands of displaced individuals, resulting in the deaths of several citizens, including children.
The Health Department recorded the martyrdom of 198 health workers, 36 civil defense personnel, and over 130 injuries. Additionally, 60 ambulances were affected, 53 of which ceased operations entirely, and 51 out of 72 primary healthcare centers suffered damage due to bombings or fuel shortages.
Fifty-five percent of healthcare sector partners halted their operations due to substantial infrastructural damage. Most healthcare workers have been displaced due to the ongoing aggression, forcing hospitals to operate at less than one-third of the necessary capacity to treat the large number of wounded. Hospitals continue to face severe fuel shortages, leading to strict rationing and limited use of power generators for essential functions only.
The potential closure of neonatal incubators accommodating 130 infants was highlighted. Around 350,000 non-communicable disease patients and 1,000 requiring kidney dialysis exist. Eighty percent of dialysis machines are present in hospitals in northern Gaza.
Since October 7th, the Israeli authorities have prevented the exit of patients from Gaza for treatment in Jerusalem and within the 1948 territories, including 2,000 cancer patients.
The Israeli forces besieged the Rantisi and Nasr Children's Hospitals, in addition to halting oxygen stations, putting sick children at risk of imminent death.
Israeli forces bombed the outpatient clinics building in the Shifa Medical Complex. The Nasr Children's Hospital in Gaza City was also targeted during an Israeli airstrike, resulting in the martyrdom of three citizens and injuring dozens. The nearby area of Shifa was bombarded, while the only psychiatric hospital in Gaza ceased operations.
The occupation forces targeted a humanitarian aid convoy for the Red Cross carrying supplies to healthcare facilities, including the Jerusalem Hospital, while it was present, and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The Jerusalem Hospital in Gaza City (operated by the Palestinian Red Crescent) halted major services, while the Return Hospital, the sole provider of birthing services in northern Gaza, warned of potential closure at any time
