Gaza healthcare services on brink of collapse as death toll climbs

Healthcare services in Gaza are on the brink of collapse as the death toll climbs amid a shortage of medical supplies and fuel for hospital generators, the WHO has warned. Ninety Palestinians have been killed so far, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

As Israel escalated its airstrikes on Thursday, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the death toll had reached 90 people, while the number of injured had climbed to 500.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that Palestinian healthcare services are not able to handle the wave of people requiring medical attention.

"A hospital, three clinics and a water desalinisation centre in a refugee camp have also been damaged. More air strikes and missile attacks are likely," the WHO said in a statement.
"The recent escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip raises concern about the ability of the government and the Ministry of Health of the occupied Palestinian territory to cope with the increased burden of medical emergencies on the health system, given the high levels of shortages of medicines, medical disposables and hospital fuel supplies, and rising healthcare debt," it added.

The organization is calling on donors to contribute $40 million for essential healthcare supplies by the end of 2014 and another $20 million to repay the debt owed to East Jerusalem hospitals.

Palestinians carry a door from a destroyed house following what police said was an Israeli air strike in central Gaza Strip July 9, 2014.(Reuters / Ashraf Amrah)

US willing to facilitate ceasefire

Meanwhile, international pressure has been increasing for both Israel and Hamas to deescalate the conflict.
US President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington is willing to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Speaking to the Israeli leader on Thursday, Obama condemned the rockets fired from Gaza and said that Israel has the right to self-defense. However, he also urged both sides not to escalate the crisis and to restore calm.

"The United States remains prepared to facilitate a cessation of hostilities, including a return to the November 2012 ceasefire agreement," said the statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin urged Netanyahu to end the bloodshed immediately in a telephone conversation on Thursday, expressing concern over civilian casualties. UN chief Ban Ki-moon also called for an immediate ceasefire at an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

Israeli soldiers gather in an army deployment area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip on July 10, 2014.(AFP Photo / Menahem Kahana )

Earlier on Thursday, the UN confirmed that the Palestinian death toll had risen to 88 as Israel's Operation Protective Edge continued for a third day. At least 18 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the operation began.

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