The International Committee of the Red Cross said today (Sunday) that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic and is getting worse every moment.
The committee added in a statement, a copy of which was received by Xinhua News Agency, that civilians in the Gaza Strip are bearing the heavy humanitarian cost, especially women and children, pointing out that the situation is catastrophic and is getting worse every moment.
The committee noted that what we see in Gaza has not been seen since our permanent presence in 1967, explaining that the destruction included water and wastewater infrastructure, with most of them out of service, which indicates an environmental disaster.
The International Committee said that obtaining a drop of clean drinking water or a loaf of bread in Gaza has become a dangerous journey that lasts for hours.
The committee confirmed that half of the population of the Gaza Strip was displaced to the south in light of the absence of the basic necessities of life, in addition to the dispersion of families and mothers distributing their children to displacement centers to increase their chance of survival.
Regarding the health situation, the International Committee said that Gaza's hospitals are on the verge of complete collapse, while doctors are exhausted, in addition to a scarcity of medical supplies and fuel.
The committee explained that surgeries are carried out without anesthesia and in hospital roads, calling for the need to protect hospitals, medical staff and ambulances, and for them to be life-saving places and a safe haven for those displaced there and not to be transformed into arenas of destruction and death.
The International Committee called for the necessity of protecting those who voluntarily decided to remain in their homes, and that the parties must respect and avoid civilian casualties.
She confirmed that her teams are still present inside Gaza and are doing their best to respond, noting that the surgical team specialized in war surgery that entered Gaza through the International Committee has begun its work alongside Palestinian doctors in the hospitals of the Strip.
The committee announced that it was able to bring medical supplies sufficient to treat 5,000 war-wounded people, and drinking water purification tablets sufficient to purify 50,000 liters of water, noting that this is a glimmer of hope, but it is far from sufficient for the needs.
She said that there are 60 tons of aid standing at the nearest point of the Egyptian Rafah crossing, waiting to enter the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Red Crescent, calling for the necessity of stopping the escalation to prevent further human suffering and allowing the flow of medical supplies and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, and granting humanitarian work crews. The International Committee and the Palestinian Red Crescent have a safe space for movement and humanitarian response, and the world must not tolerate this abject failure.
The government media office in Gaza announced last night that the death toll of Palestinians had risen to 9,500 as a result of Israel's continuing attacks on the Strip, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women, while more than 24,000 others were injured.
