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Israel’s ban on entry of medical equipment to Gaza puts patients at risk

November 22, 2022 at 9:23 am

A view from Al-Makassed Hospital in Jerusalem on August 11, 2022 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Ministry of Health yesterday warned that Israel’s ongoing ban on the entry of urgently needed medical equipment to Gaza threatens the life of patients, Quds Press reported.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Bassam Hamadeen, called on the international community to put pressure on the occupation in order to help lift the ban on medical equipment.

Hamadeen also said that the Israeli occupation authorities prevent the entry of many spare parts needed to maintain existing equipment.

“This led to the halt of offering a wide range of medical services across the Palestinian hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip,” he said.

According to Hamdeen, the most urgently needed equipment is the Interventional Radiology Device, which was funded by a donor and was bought and has been waiting for a long time in the occupied West Bank.

Hamdeen said that the Israeli occupation has been blocking the entry of this device, which helps diagnose many serious illnesses.

Gaza has been under a strict Israeli siege since 2007. Which restricts the entry of goods, movement of people and prevents patients from traveling to seek treatment abroad.

READ: 5 Gaza patients died in 2022 due to Israel travel ban