The International Committee of the Red Cross has confirmed that the people of Gaza are facing a critical "double crisis", as they struggle to deal with the acute shortage of electricity while the Covid-19 virus has managed to penetrate the containment barriers and began to spread among the population They are at risk in the sector.
Ignacio Casares Garcia, director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Gaza, said in a statement this evening, Wednesday: “The people of Gaza are under severe stress. The population is feeling tense. Their concerns about the virus are very large and they are now under lockdown. "
He added, "Gaza was able to prevent the spread of the virus among members of society through the strict quarantine system, which appeared to have proven its worth until this week. The situation changed on Monday, with the announcement of confirmed cases outside the quarantine centers."
Casares Garcia explained: "The health care system in Gaza will not be able to deal with more than a few dozen patients with Coronavirus." He added, "The treatment of Covid-19 patients requires medical and laboratory equipment, special supplies and medicines that are not available in hospitals and health centers in sufficient quantities."
He added that the residents of the Gaza Strip should play their own role at this stage to prevent a wider outbreak of the disease: "We urge everyone in Gaza to strictly comply with the preventive measures. Compliance is critical at this stage of concern."
He noted that while international efforts have improved the capacity of health facilities in Gaza to deal with the outbreak of the pandemic from its inception, there is still more to do.
“We reaffirm our commitment to do everything in our power to support the people of Gaza in the face of the virus,” said Mr. Casares Garcia. "They cannot achieve this on their own. They need all possible international help to face the crisis," he added.
The ICRC has provided supplies and equipment, including vital intensive care equipment, chlorine, personal protective equipment and hospital supplies, and has made infrastructure improvements at the hospital designated to treat COVID-19 patients in Gaza. We have more personal protective equipment and will be providing it to the authorities soon.
