Israel’s Occupation is Gaza’s Main Medical Problem, Insist Professionals
- Israel’s Occupation is Gaza’s Main Medical Problem, Insist Professionals
by Jehan Alfarra, j_alfarra, https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/
The main medical problem in the Gaza Strip is the Israeli occupation, Norwegian doctor and humanitarian Mads Gilbert told viewers during a webinar organised by the Middle East Monitor yesterday in association with PalMed Europe, an organisation of Palestinian doctors based across the continent. Gilbert and the other members of a panel of experts addressed the toll of Israeli air strikes on Gaza’s health sector and the implications during the programme “Gaza’s Health Sector: Challenges in War and Peace”.
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The webinar followed Israel’s 11-day bombardment of Gaza last month, which killed at least 254 Palestinians, including 66 children and two senior doctors. It also left the Palestinian Health Ministry and Gaza’s main Covid-19 lab out of service.
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The Chairman of PalMed Europe, Riyadh Masharqah, gave viewers a brief overview of the status of Gaza’s health sector and the challenges it has been facing over the past 15 years. He began by highlighting the social determinants of health affecting the 2.1 million Palestinians who reside in the besieged enclave, including a poverty rate of 53 per cent, an unemployment rate of 43.1 per cent, a water pollution level reaching up to 98 per cent and a power deficit that stands at about 50 per cent.
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These were a few of the factors, Masharqah explained, which contributed to the alarming UN report in 2012 predicting that Gaza would become “unliveable” by 2020. He went on to highlight the Covid-19 status in Gaza, with 112,317 cumulative confirmed cases and at least 1,047 deaths. Only 36,512 people have been vaccinated fully due to the shortage of coronavirus vaccines delivered to the Strip.
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9 … I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a [a]synagogue of Satan.
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