Israel continues to ban essential medical equipment for Gaza

The Israeli occupation authorities are continuing to ban the import of diagnostic and other essential medical equipment for use in the besieged Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday. The ban has already been in force for 14 months. The ministry pointed out that this poses a grave risk to patients in Gaza’s hospitals.

According to Dr Medhat Abbas at the ministry, Israel has prevented the import of interventional catheter devices, digital X-ray machines and mobile X-ray machines. He added that the ban is not just limited to medical equipment, but also to spare parts needed to fix existing equipment which Israel refuses to allow to be sent outside Gaza for essential repairs.

A spokesman for the ministry, Ashraf Al-Qidra, noted that the Israeli ban on medical equipment is a violation of Palestinians’ right to treatment, which is guaranteed by international humanitarian law.

READ: Israel bans entry of medical equipment into Gaza, Palestinian authorities warn