Ramallah, Palestinian Minister of Health Mai Al Kaila said Wednesday that the Turkish Friendship Hospital, the only cancer treatment hospital in the Gaza Strip, has stopped all operations as a result of bombings by the Israeli occupation forces yesterday and the day before, and after totally running out of fuel.

The Minister said that 16 out of 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip had stopped operating as a result of the bombings and running out of fuel. She pointed out that 70 cancer patients getting treatment in the Turkish hospital may lose their lives, explaining that the number of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip is about 2,000 living in catastrophic health conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression and the displacement of a large number of people.

The Palestinian Health Minister expressed fear that Al Shifa Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, could also stop operations in less than 24 hours after running out of fuel, explaining that the emergency, surgery, kidney dialysis, intensive care, and incubator wards are the only departments still functioning and that the hospital is operating at a capacity exceeding by several times its capability and with a staff that does not cover 30 percent of its needs.

The Minister reiterated her urgent appeals to stop the Israeli aggression and allow the entry of necessary medicines and medical supplies, as well as allow the entry of volunteer medical teams and take the wounded out for treatment.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) had previously warned that it would soon run out of fuel, putting the humanitarian response in Gaza at risk, warning that without fuel there would be no water, no hospitals, and no functioning bakeries, increasing the suffering of children, women, and people in Gaza.

Source: Qatar News Agency