Gaza hospitals risk becoming morgues as Israel bombs enclave, says Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned on Thursday that hospitals in Gaza are at risk of becoming morgues due to Israeli airstrikes on the enclave.
A humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in Gaza, with aid agencies and health officials saying that hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced amid shortages of food, water, and electricity – putting additional strain on medical institutions.
“As Gaza loses power, hospitals are losing power, putting at risk newborns in incubators and elderly patients dependent on oxygen,” Fabrizio Carboni, the ICRC’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, said in a statement.
The only power plant in Gaza has ceased operations after it ran out of fuel, the head of Gaza’s energy authority told CNN on Wednesday. People in the enclave can still use generators for electricity, but with a blockade on all sides of the border, fuel needed to keep the generators running is running out, the official said.
More than 1,200 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched airstrikes, and 338,000 have been displaced, BBC News reports.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to Israel to meet with Israeli officials. He will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas – Abbas is based in the West Bank and is a rival of Hamas in Gaza.
The ICRC urged all parties to the conflict to take immediate steps to protect civilians and medical infrastructure.
“The indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas is unacceptable and a violation of international humanitarian law,” Carboni said. “Medical facilities must be protected at all costs.”
Translation by Iurie Tataru
