The civil defense department underlined its inability since mid-November to respond to emergency cases or reach sites that have been attacked by the Israeli army.
The Civil Defense Department in Gaza announced Tuesday that most of its emergency vehicles have been halted due to a shortage in fuel aggravating the conditions of the deplorable health sector in the besieged Strip, Anadolu news agency reported.
“We declare the cessation of operations for most civil defense vehicles in Gaza Governorate due to insufficient fuel,” Gaza’s civil defense said in a statement.
“Currently, we are operating with only one water tanker and one rescue vehicle,” it added.
In Gaza, a civil defense worker saved 5 children then stayed near an injured woman until lsrael bombed them again, this is what left of his body! #Gaza pic.twitter.com/eAZyrfXhoa
— Muhammad Smiry 🇵🇸 (@MuhammadSmiry) November 20, 2024
The civil defense department underlined its inability since mid-November to respond to emergency cases or reach sites that have been attacked by the Israeli army, sounding the alarm of a worsening humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
“This heralds an impending humanitarian catastrophe that adds to the suffering of our people in Gaza as the Israeli aggression continues,” the statement read, in reference to the consequences of the halt of its vehicles.
The civil defense department also warned that fuel shortage along with the displacement of thousands of Palestinians from northern Gaza is sternly hindering the capacity to address deteriorating humanitarian needs across the besieged enclave.
Lifesaving Commodity Denied
Since the onset of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, medical facilities across the Strip have repeatedly called on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the entry of this lifesaving commodity along with others.
Several United Nations agencies and international organizations have slammed Israel’s blockade of basic commodities including fuel, which aggravated the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
Many hospitals and other vital facilities in Gaza have halted their operations due to a lack of fuel.
Nooh, a Palestinian civil defense member breaks down as he holds the hand of his colleague Ali Mohammed Mustafa Omar after they were targeted by Israeli forces while saving families from the rubble in Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City.
“They bombed us while saving a woman” pic.twitter.com/hlsp9weK5W
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) November 20, 2024
On November 16, the city of Khan Yunis, located in southern Gaza, announced that a week-long fuel shortage has left over 1.2 million Palestinian residents and displaced individuals in the area without access to clean water, according to Anadolu.
“This persistent fuel stoppage has disrupted essential services, including the operation of water wells and desalination plants, leaving over 1.2 million citizens and displaced individuals in Khan Yunis without potable and usable water,” the city government stated.
In addition to water shortages, the city government warned of the potential suspension of sewage treatment services. It emphasized that untreated wastewater could lead to dire consequences, such as flooding streets, which would heighten the risk of environmental and health disasters, including the spread of diseases and epidemics, Anadolu reported.
Staggering Death Toll
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 43,972 Palestinians have been killed, and 104,008 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
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Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(PC, Anadolu)
