Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh urgently called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to intervene in treating over 12,000 wounded people in Gaza, where hospitals lack medical equipment.
During a meeting with representative and director of operations of ICRC in Palestine Jean-Philippe on Wednesday in Ramallah, Shtayyeh discussed the possibility of establishing a field hospital for the ICRC in the Gaza Strip, urging the ICRC to take urgent action as the hospitals in Gaza are suffering from a shortage of staff and equipment due to the ongoing siege.
Shtayyeh strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli aggression towards Gaza that targeted civilians and has resulted in the loss of over 3,000 Palestinian lives, as well as the massacre committed by Israel after striking the Baptist Hospital. He emphasized the need for an immediate end to the aggression and called for the establishment of safe transportation corridors for aid and the restoration of water and electricity services in the affected areas.
He warned of the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been exacerbated by the depletion of fuel reserves in hospitals, adding that every possible effort is being made to collaborate with international partners to enable the entry of essential medicines and medical supplies into Gaza once Israel grants permission.
The priority is to deliver medicine, electricity, and water to the Gaza Strip and search for the wounded and evacuate them in accordance with international humanitarian law, he added.
Jean-Philippe said a field hospital is ready to be deployed in Gaza, contingent upon Israel's approval for medical aid to enter the Strip.