Palestinian health minister warns of dangerous disaster in Gaza

Palestinian Health Minister Jawad Awwad has warned that the shortage of vaccines in the Gaza Strip could result in the reappearance of dangerous diseases long eradicated in the besieged enclave, Anadolu news agency reported.

The minister blamed the continuous Israeli attacks on the Strip, on top of the blockade, for the shortage of vaccines. Israel is currently waging a military campaign in Gaza that has so far claimed the lives of around 2,000 Palestinians, wounding around 10,000 others.

In the wake of his meeting with the director of WHO in the Middle East, Alaa Olwan, the minister issued a statement saying: “Vaccination has been critically affected because of the Israeli war. This might lead to the emergence of diseases that had disappeared in Gaza a long time ago.”

The minister cited dangerous diseases such as tuberculosis, polio, smallpox and measles. He discussed the worsening situation in Gaza with the WHO official and provided him with a detailed explanation about the Israeli aggression on hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

For his part, Olwan said that WHO has launched an urgent appeal worth $60 million to help the healthcare sector. He also said that Saudi Arabia had pledged $26.7 million.