Gaza Strip: Israel Accused of Destroying Health System

On Monday, the Palestinian News and Information Agency (Wafa) denounced that the health system in the Gaza Strip is one of the main targets of the Israeli offensive as part of its doctrine of destruction.

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The US military did not limit its war against the sector to direct attacks, but also threatened, besieged and forced the evacuation of hospitals, the source said.

It also prevented these facilities from obtaining basic supplies such as medicines, fuel and water, the source said.

The news outlet recalled that since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza on 7 October 2023, there have been constant warnings from humanitarian organizations and international institutions about the danger of a collapse of the territory's health system.

“Israeli forces systematically create excuses for their war against hospitals and medical centers, as well as their personnel and rescue teams,” it said.

As an example, it cited Israel's "fabrication of lies and attempts to attribute bombings and destruction to Palestinian factions, as happened after the attack on Al-Ahli Al-Arabi hospital" on 17 October last year.

At other times, the IDF has claimed that sieges of medical complexes, such as Al-Shifa, were the result of their use by Palestinian movements for military purposes or because of the presence of tunnels underneath them, he said.

The IDF "failed to convince world public opinion, even some Western media, which usually adopt the Israeli narrative", he said.

Wafa also accused the military of killing patients, medical personnel and displaced persons who took refuge inside these facilities.

According to official data, the health sector in Gaza has collapsed, and what is left of it is treating, at most, only 15 per cent of the wounded.

It cannot treat those suffering from chronic diseases, nor can it treat those affected by epidemics, which have led to overcrowding in shelters and the destruction of the sewage system, he warned.

"The vast majority of these patients cannot receive their basic medicines and necessary care, which has worsened their state of health," he said.