Oct 25, 2023, 1:39 PM

Health ministry warns of possible epidemic wave in Gaza

Health ministry warns of possible epidemic wave in Gaza

TEHRAN, Oct. 25 (MNA) – The Gaza Health Ministry has warned of the possible outbreak of a major epidemic wave in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing Israeli airstrikes and siege on the Palestinian enclave.

Xinhua reported citing Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qedra's press statement on Tuesday that up to 3,150 cases of diseases were recorded in a single day after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7, with most of them reported among children. The diseases included diarrhea, food poisoning, skin symptoms, scabies, and bronchial infections.

Due to overcrowding in shelter facilities, a lack of clean water, and poor personal hygiene, epidemic diseases have become increasingly prevalent, he said.

To prevent the spread of diseases, he called on the international community to provide immediate assistance and restore basic services in Gaza, including water, electricity, and sanitation.

Israel waged a war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression, more than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

The regime has further ordered 1.1 million people in the north of Gaza to evacuate and move south of the coastal sliver.

However, it has continued to rain down bombs on the south, killing large numbers of Palestinians.

The United Nations says about half of the Palestinians in Gaza have been made homeless, still trapped inside the besieged enclave.

The world body’s human rights office says Israel’s complete siege of Gaza, combined with the evacuation order, could amount to a forcible transfer of civilians, breaching international law.

AMK/PR

News ID 207550

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