The director of Al-Shifa Hospital announced on Saturday that they had no water, no electricity and no food. It happened Friday evening. The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had only a few hours’ worth of fuel reserves to maintain one of its hospitals in Gaza, Al-Quds.
He, Dr. Mustafa Barghoutiele, commented after being asked about the collapse of the healthcare system.
Gaza’s healthcare system has already collapsed due to two factors. The first is the Israeli bombing of hospital areas. But in addition there is the collective punishment of depriving these hospitals of all food, medicine, oxygen, electricity and fuel. We have already lost a child due to lack of fuel, a baby in an incubator at Al-Shifa Hospital. Another 39 are on the brink of death. Al-Quds Hospital also no longer has electricity. The Indonesian hospital had to operate without electricity on Friday and therefore had to use lamps to see the operating field. And they keep getting injured. It is a real health disaster in Gaza.
He later added: “One of the problems we also face is that many of the injured have infected wounds and cannot be treated due to lack of medicine.” , such as amputation of a leg without anesthesia. It is unbearable and the Israelis don’t care.”
The Israeli army said it had ordered the evacuation of Al-Shifa hospital. How can a hospital with almost 5,000 patients be evacuated under Gaza conditions?
He responded later.
There are not only injured people who cannot walk, but also people wearing breathing masks. And there are no ambulances to transport them because there are no roads for ambulances. Babies in incubators die as soon as they are removed from the incubator. Patients in intensive care and coronary care units connected to ventilators die immediately. Israel tells the doctors to leave, and the doctors respond, “We will not leave our patients behind.” That would be a crime.’
Khalil Al-Hayya, a Hamas official, told the New York Times that it was necessary to change “the entire equation” and not limit it to confrontation. Has the whole equation changed with the October 7 attacks?
Yes, the equation has changed to our detriment. Against the Palestinians. And the Israeli establishment now dares to commit genocide and attacks against the Palestinians, including these terrible atrocities. The whole world watched as Biden and the British Prime Minister refused to agree to a ceasefire.
They say, “The equation has changed against us.” Do you think it was the Hamas attacks on October 7 that turned the world against you?
No. The world is unfair to us in every way, regardless of what happened on October 7. Look: we have been victims of Israeli ethnic cleansing since 1948. 75 years of ethnic cleansing. The United Nations has passed thousands of resolutions calling on Israel to allow refugees to return, end the occupation, stop building settlements, etc. None of this was done. None of this was implemented.
“We have tried military action – I haven’t, I am in favor of non-violent resistance.” But generally speaking, the Palestinians attempted military struggle. They tried peace negotiations. They tried to make deals with Israel. They tried nonviolent resistance. We’ve tried everything. And the result is that the Israeli establishment is committing more and more crimes against us. And many Western governments are disrespecting international law by continuing to support Israel. And then they blame the victim. They always blame the victim. This is not acceptable’.
In recent days we have heard Hussein al-Sheikh, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as other senior PLO officials, discussing a possible return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, provided in their view, there is a comprehensive solution for the Palestinians. Does this scenario of the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip seem feasible to you today?
They cannot take control of Gaza. Netanyahu wants to occupy Gaza. How could they take control? He wants them to work for him as his servants so that he is not responsible for the humanitarian needs of the populations he occupies. He wants them to repeat what they are doing here in the West Bank. Here in the West Bank they have no authority. The Israeli army invades all cities that should be under Palestinian control according to the Oslo Accords. We spend 40% of our budget on a security apparatus that cannot protect a single Palestinian child from Israeli aggression. So no, Netanyahu does not want authority in Gaza. He wants a subservient authority in Gaza.
“And the Palestinian Authority’s popularity is now at an all-time low because of its inaction, especially during the attack on Gaza. The Palestinian Authority needs legitimacy and cannot obtain it without free and democratic elections. If there had been an election in 2021 that Israel had rejected, we would not be in this situation today. Because if the elections had taken place, neither Hamas nor Fatah would have had a majority. Neither side could have ruled alone, either in Gaza or the West Bank. Today the situation would be different. And the Israelis could not say that they cannot negotiate with the Palestinian leaders because they do not represent everyone. What we need are free and democratic elections to legitimize any Palestinian government. Before he agreed to submit to the Israeli occupation of Gaza.
(With information from RFI)
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
