GENEVA / PNN / 

The International Committee of the Red Cross stressed the need to take concrete measures to preserve access to emergency and life-saving medical care for those in need in the Gaza Strip.

The International Committee explained in a statement issued today that "at present, nearly two million people in the Gaza Strip are left with nothing but the Nasser Medical Complex and the European Gaza Hospital in the south of the Strip, which provide surgical services and advanced emergency medical services, and have a large clinical capacity, although this is not enough for the current wounded and sick throughout Gaza."

It pointed out that less than 20% of the area of the Gaza Strip, or about 60 square kilometers, is now a refuge for more than one and a half million displaced men and women, adding that they live in desperate conditions in the south of the Strip, where the escalation of fighting threatens their chances of survival.

The statement explained that all hospitals in the Gaza Strip suffer from severe overcrowding and limited medical supplies, fuel, food, and water, and that many of them house thousands of displaced families.

Director of the ICRC's sub-delegation in Gaza, William Schomberg, said: "We now face the risk of losing two more hospitals due to the fighting. The cumulative impact of the conflict on the health system is devastating and urgent measures must be taken to prevent this from happening."

International humanitarian law stipulates that all parties to the conflict must fully respect and provide absolute protection to medical infrastructure.