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Join on Telegram Rabat – The Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday that a staggering 50,000 pregnant women and over 900,000 children are grappling with a lack of access to essential medical care within the confines of displacement shelters.
The Ministry’s spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qudra, expressed concerns about the alarming situation during a press conference, emphasizing the dire and overwhelming health and humanitarian conditions faced by more than 1.9 million displaced individuals in the Gaza Strip.
The displaced population in Gaza, caused by the relentless ground and air operations of the Israeli occupation Forces (IOF), is now confronted with the imminent threats of hunger, epidemic outbreaks, and infectious diseases due to the acute shortage of suitable shelter, water, food, and medications in the displacement centers.
Al-Qudra pointed out that the precarious situation, highlighting the risk of malnutrition and medical complications faced by 50,000 pregnant women, particularly those with high-risk pregnancies, attributed to the scarcity of potable water, hygiene, nourishment, and medical care within the shelters.
Furthermore, the plight extends to over 900,000 children residing in these shelters, exposing them to extreme cold, dehydration, malnutrition, infectious diseases, respiratory and skin disorders, and psychological disturbances.
“The Gaza Strip is at risk of hunger and the spread of epidemics and infectious diseases, due to the lack of appropriate shelter, water, food and medicines in the reception centers for displaced persons,” he said.
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He issued an appeal to UN agencies, urging immediate interventions to save the lives of children, pregnant women, and the ailing, while also preventing an impending health, humanitarian, and psychological catastrophe within the displacement centers.
“Urgent interventions to save the lives of children, pregnant women and the sick, and to prevent a health, humanitarian and psychological catastrophe in shelters,” he urged.
Meanwhile, in a stark contrast to the escalating humanitarian crisis, the Israeli military spokesperson declared an extended timeline for the ongoing bloody campaign in Gaza, asserting that hostilities will persist throughout the entirety of 2024.
Almost three months after the start of the IOF’s bloody campaign in Gaza, the death toll stands at 21,978, predominantly women and children, and 57,697 wounded.
The aggression has massively destroyed infrastructure, housing and health centers, and caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, plunging Gaza’s 2.3 million inhabitants into an abyss of suffering, as indicated by official reports from the Gaza authorities and the United Nations.
