Gaza Strip: Thousands of Injured and Sick at Risk, Border Closes

On Friday, official sources stated that more than 22,000 wounded and sick Palestinians in Gaza who need treatment abroad are at risk because of the closure of the Rafah border crossing, following its occupation by the Israeli army.

Related:

Who Warns That Gaza Has Not Received Medical Aid for 10 Days

The director general of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta, warned that the territory's health system has collapsed due to seven months of Israeli attacks.

In statements to the press, he warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the coastal enclave following the Israeli assault on the border crossing with Egypt and then the offensive against the neighbouring city of Rafah.

According to the UN, Before the military operation, which began last week, the city was home to more than a million displaced people, but several hundred thousand have already left.

Al-Thawbat called on the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the neighbouring nation's armed forces in the Strip.

He also called for arrest warrants for the country's political and military leaders.

He said the crimes include premeditated murder, use of starvation as a weapon of war, arrests, torture, inhumane treatment, deportations, enforced disappearance and the use of hostages as human shields.

Israeli media revealed that at least eight brigades are currently deployed in the coastal enclave, several of which operate around Rafah.

Already the eastern neighbourhoods of Rafah have been assaulted by the army, which is attempting to move inland despite a wave of international criticism of the serious humanitarian consequences of the operation.

In an interview with Voice of Palestine radio, Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said this week that the situation in the sector in the coastal enclave is catastrophic.

More than 80 percent of the hospitals and health care centres there are out of service as a result of continued Israeli aggression, he warned.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) accused Israel of carrying out 443 attacks on the Gaza Strip since the start of its military campaign on 7 October.

On its X account, the WHO reported that these raids resulted in 723 deaths, 924 injuries, damage to 101 facilities and 106 ambulances.