GAZA, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has warned of the consequences of repeated Israeli fabrications targeting hospitals and healthcare facilities, saying claims that armed fighters are present or weapons are being stored inside medical facilities are false and are being used to justify further attacks on what remains of Gaza’s devastated healthcare system.
Medical system faces continued destruction
In an urgent statement, the ministry said Gaza’s healthcare system is entering its third consecutive year under a systematic campaign of “medical genocide.”
It said Israel’s renewed claims about hospitals come after most healthcare facilities across Gaza have already been destroyed, damaged, or forced out of service, wiping out medical capabilities that Palestinians spent decades building.
The ministry said the repetition of these claims at this particular moment represents an attempt to create media cover and provide justification for continued Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical centers that are still operating under extremely difficult conditions.
Patients, wounded Palestinians and medical workers left with minimal resources
The ministry stressed that Gaza’s remaining hospitals and medical centers are filled with wounded and sick Palestinians fighting for their lives, alongside medical and humanitarian workers who continue providing healthcare despite severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies.
According to the statement, Israel has not only maintained restrictions that prevent medicines and medical supplies from entering Gaza and obstructed the evacuation of thousands of wounded and sick Palestinians seeking treatment outside the territory, but has also continued targeting healthcare services at facilities that remain capable of operating.
Hospitals open to international organizations
Responding to the Israeli claims, the Health Ministry reiterated that all hospitals and healthcare facilities in Gaza have been and remain open to international organizations, UN agencies, human rights groups and humanitarian institutions.
The ministry said these organizations are able to enter the facilities, directly observe the nature of the medical work being carried out inside them and independently examine the claims being made about Gaza’s hospitals.
It said the continued operation of these facilities under extraordinarily difficult conditions demonstrates that they are fulfilling their medical role by treating wounded and sick Palestinians, while healthcare workers continue carrying out their humanitarian duties with extremely limited resources.
Health ministry demands international protection
The Health Ministry called on the international community, UN agencies, human rights organizations and other relevant bodies to intervene urgently to stop a systematic campaign of disinformation and to provide effective and direct international protection for Gaza’s healthcare workers and medical institutions.
It called for an end to attacks on healthcare facilities and medical personnel and demanded guarantees that hospitals can continue providing treatment to wounded and sick Palestinians.
The ministry warned that if the current conditions continue, the few remaining places where Palestinians can still receive medical treatment and essential healthcare services could also be lost.
