Gaza Strip’s Only Cancer Treatment Hospital Runs Out of Fuel, Threatening Lives of 2,000 Patients

2023-11-01 16:40:39

Palestinian health sector officials announced on Wednesday that the only cancer treatment hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip had stopped working due to running out of fuel, putting the lives of two thousand patients at stake.

In a press conference, Sobhi Skaik, director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, said that the hospital – which mainly treats cancer patients – stopped working following it ran out of fuel.

Skaik added, “We tell the world not to leave cancer patients to certain death because the hospital is out of service.”

For her part, Minister of Health Mai Al-Kaila confirmed the reason for the cessation of this hospital “as a result of its bombing by the occupation forces yesterday and the day before yesterday, and its complete depletion of fuel.” She added that thus the total number of hospitals that have stopped working in the sector has risen to 16 out of 35.

Al-Kaila said in a statement, “The lives of 70 cancer patients inside the hospital are seriously threatened.”

She added that the number of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip is regarding two thousand patients, “living in catastrophic health conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression and the displacement of a large number.”

For his part, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said – in a press conference in the capital, Ankara – that targeting health care workers and cancer patients, leaving them to die, and targeting them with bombs “constitutes a war crime.”

Koca explained that this hospital – which was established by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and donated to Palestine – currently includes 80 patients receiving cancer treatment, “however, the lack of drug supplies has seriously disrupted the treatment of cancer patients.”

The day before yesterday, the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that the third and last floor of the hospital had been bombed by Israeli warplanes, causing severe damage.

The World Health Organization calls for an end to the war

In the same context, the World Health Organization sounded the alarm, warning of a further deterioration in the conditions of the besieged sector, and stated in a statement today that thousands still need to obtain urgent and basic health services in light of the shortage of medicines, health supplies, and other assistance, such as fuel, water, and food.

The organization indicated that there are more than a thousand patients in need of dialysis to survive, more than two thousand patients being treated for cancer, 45 thousand patients with cardiovascular disease, and more than 60 thousand patients with diabetes.

Before October 7, regarding 100 patients daily needed to leave the Gaza Strip to obtain specialized health services due to the lack of specialized health services.

The UN organization also called for “accelerating” the arrival of humanitarian aid within the Strip, including fuel, water, food and medical supplies, and for the possibility of referring patients to health care services outside Gaza.

It also called for “a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons to prevent further losses and suffering.”

Life in Gaza is becoming increasingly difficult with the depletion of food, fuel, drinking water, and medicines, and the enormous difficulties faced by hospitals in treating the injured. The Ministry of Health reported that the number of martyrs today reached 8,796 Palestinians, including 3,648 children.

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