Gaza health ministry issues urgent call for world to send medical teams

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the besieged Gaza Strip has called for countries around the world to send volunteer medical teams to the Palestinian enclave as a matter of urgency to relieve its exhausted medical staff, Anadolu has reported. The appeal has been made nine days after Israel began its ruthless, non-stop bombardment of the territory.

“Medical professionals with all specialisms are needed desperately,” explained ministry spokesman, Ashraf Al-Qudra. “Our medical teams are now either martyrs or homeless.”

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Earlier on Sunday, the ministry appealed to citizens to donate blood “immediately” in all hospitals in the Gaza Strip, due to the increasing number of people wounded in Israeli raids. It warned of the imminent collapse of hospitals and their capabilities in the face of the Israeli bombardment.

Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila described the humanitarian and medical situation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as “catastrophic”, and warned that if this is allowed to continue the medical services will collapse. Al-Kaila told reporters that “the Israeli authorities [still] refuse to allow aid convoys to enter Gaza.”

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As of Sunday, the Israeli air strikes had killed almost 3,000 Palestinians, including 700 children, and injured 9,042 others. Hamas is reported to have killed more than 1,300 Israelis, wounded 3,715, and captured 150 others, according to official sources from both sides.

The Palestinian population of Gaza is around 2.3 million people. Israel has imposed a siege on the territory since 2006, after Hamas won the last democratic Palestinian legislative election to be held.

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