11,000 wounded, sick Palestinians in urgent need for treatment outside Gaza: ministry

Gaza: At least 11,000 wounded and sick Palestinians in the Gaza Strip urgently need to travel to other countries for treatment, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qedra said in a statement that “the patients need to save their lives as the ministry cannot provide all medical service for them amid the lack of medical staff and equipment as a result of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza.”

“Currently, the ministry is able to operate parts of the hospitals in northern Gaza, but we need the arrival of medical supplies and fuel and the return of medical teams from the south to continue their work,” Al-Qedra added.

He noted that the north of the strip and Gaza City are experiencing dire health and humanitarian conditions due to Israel’s attacks and siege on them since the onset of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7, 2023.

Moreover, 27,708 Palestinians, including women and children, have so far been killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, while 67,147 others were wounded, updated the ministry on Wednesday.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), 84 percent of its health facilities in the strip have been affected by the Israeli attacks.

The UN agency said only four health facilities out of the total 22 affiliated with it are still operating due to the persistent Israeli bombing and blockade.