Gaza's health ministry warns of a humanitarian crisis

Wednesday April 02, 2008 17:56 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

The Palestinian health ministry of the Hamas-rule Gaza warned on Wedensday of a humanitarian crisis across the Gaza Strip, because of continued Israeli closure on the coastal territory, since June of last year, a ministry statement read.

In a statement, faxed to press, the ministry said " thousands of patients have increasingly become vulnerable to death, due to the frequent power outages in the region, becaues of the Israeli actions, mainly cutting off fuel supplies, needed for hospitals and ambulances".

The statement hinted at the fact that so far 121 patients have died after having been unable to receive urgent medication at hospitals, outside the Gaza Strip, because of the Israeli closure, in place since June2007.

The health ministry appealed to all concerned bodies worldwide to pressure the Israeli government for putting an end to the Israeli practices and measures that have turned the Gaza Strip into ' a cemetry of alive', asserting that international silence helps Israel to continue crimes against the Palestinain people.

In September2007, the Israeli government declared Gaza a hostile entity and began in October a series of apparently 'punitive measures', including cutting off fuel supplies to Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

gaza strip | miscellaneous | news report rami at imemc dot org