Health situation in Gaza remains dire despite ceasefire, ministry says

Gaza's health situation remains dire despite a ceasefire agreement with Israel, the Health Ministry said Sunday.

"The health situation in the Gaza Strip remains disastrous due to Israel's failure to adhere to the terms of the ceasefire agreement," ministry spokesman Khalil al-Daqran said in a statement.

He said Israel continues to block the entry of medicines and medical supplies into Gaza and prevents the evacuation of injured Palestinians for treatment abroad.

According to the spokesman, Israel has prevented 16,500 patients and injured people from leaving Gaza for treatment abroad, despite the completion of their paperwork.

"Medical points set up to provide healthcare services to civilians have gone out of service due to heavy rains, with tents being blown away by strong winds."

Daqran appealed to the international community to urgently intervene to facilitate the entry of tents, mobile homes, and construction materials into Gaza to help assuage the suffering of displaced civilians in the enclave.

Gaza has been affected by cold weather, heavy rains, and stormy winds since Friday, causing the flooding of thousands of tents sheltering civilians displaced by Israel's two-year war on the enclave.

The storm is expected to subside by Sunday evening, according to meteorological forecasts.

Some 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to face catastrophic humanitarian conditions after the Israeli war, which killed nearly 69,200 people and injured over 170,700 others since October 2023. The Israeli assault came to a halt under a ceasefire agreement that took effect on Oct. 10.