Latest news with #MunirAl-Bursh
Days of Palestine
03-06-2025
- Health
- Days of Palestine
Death Toll at Israeli-US Aid Sites in Gaza Jumps to 75 Starving Civilians
DayofPal– A sharp increase in casualties at US-backed aid distribution centers was reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry today after Israeli killed more three aid seekers. These sites, now referred to by many Palestinians as 'Witkoff Massacres,' have become flashpoints of deadly attacks. The death toll from strikes on these aid centers has climbed to 75, with more than 400 people injured. In the past 24 hours alone, Israeli forces reportedly killed 52 Palestinians and wounded 503 others, the ministry said. Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 32 Palestinians since early Monday, according to local medical sources, as violence intensifies across the Gaza Strip. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in Jabalia, northern Gaza, where an Israeli airstrike flattened a residential home, killing 16 people, including six children. In a separate attack in Deir Al-Balah, a school sheltering displaced families was struck, leaving numerous civilians wounded. Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Gaza's Director General of Health, confirmed that 10 of his relatives, including children, were killed in an Israeli strike on their home. The death toll from that single attack later rose to 16. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued targeting civilians gathered at aid centers in Rafah, southern Gaza, for a second consecutive day. Humanitarian organizations have raised alarm over these strikes, describing the aid distribution process as unsafe and ineffective. Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) condemned the attacks, labeling the aid delivery mechanism 'dangerous, inhumane, and highly ineffective.' The group joined other international voices calling for the protection of civilians and humanitarian operations. The Government Media Office reported that 32 Palestinians were killed on Sunday at an aid distribution site in Rafah and at another facility operated by a U.S. private company in Netzarim. Since these aid centers began operating on May 27, at least 49 people have been killed and 305 injured in Israeli attacks on such locations. As of June 3, the total number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, has reached 54,470, with 124,693 others wounded, according to the Health Ministry. Since March 2, Israel has imposed a severe blockade, preventing the entry of humanitarian aid through border crossings. International observers have warned that the deliberate restriction of aid has plunged Gaza's population of 2.4 million into famine, exacerbating already dire humanitarian conditions. Shortlink for this post:
Al-Ahram Weekly
13-04-2025
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israeli airstrike sends Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City out of service - War on Gaza
An Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital — also known as the Baptist Hospital — in Gaza City has severely damaged the facility and forced it out of service, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. The strike occurred minutes after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning, the agency said in a statement, adding that the bombing destroyed the hospital's emergency department and oxygen generation unit for intensive care. According to the official WAFA news agency, two missiles hit the hospital's main building, igniting fires in the reception area, emergency and laboratory units, and the pharmacy. Dozens of patients and wounded individuals were evacuated and left lying in the streets surrounding the hospital. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of Gaza's Ministry of Health, described the aftermath as 'catastrophic and beyond description,' stating, 'We, along with the wounded and the sick, are now on the streets. The bombing hasn't stopped — the airstrikes are ongoing.' He reported that one injured child, moved from the hospital on a bed, later died from trauma. Al-Ahli was a key healthcare provider for more than one million residents in Gaza City and the northern governorates. Its destruction is a major blow to Gaza's already devastated health system. According to Gaza health officials, 34 hospitals across the territory have been destroyed or forced to shut down, alongside dozens of health clinics. The Baptist Hospital was previously the site of a horrific massacre on 17 October 2023, in which more than 470 people were killed, including patients and displaced families sheltering on its grounds. The Israeli occupation army renewed its deadly blockade on Gaza on 2 March, barring the entry of nutritional, medical, and humanitarian aid, thereby exacerbating the catastrophic conditions in the strip. Despite repeated appeals from the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Israel has continued its siege, weaponizing starvation against over two million Palestinians in Gaza. On 18 March, Israel unilaterally ended a two-month truce with Hamas, brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US, to resume its genocidal war on the strip. Since then, Israeli airstrikes on the strip have killed 1,560 Palestinians, bringing the total death toll since the outbreak of Israel's genocidal war on 7 October 2023 to at least 50,944 people, with more than 116,000 others injured, according to the latest figures from Gaza's Ministry of Health. On Sunday, Hamas condemned the latest strike, calling it a 'new war crime' and accusing Israel of acting with impunity under US protection. The group warned that the destruction of the hospital's emergency services and the displacement of its patients formed part of 'a continuous series of brutal crimes.' On Saturday, senior Hamas officials met with Egyptian mediators in Cairo as part of ongoing efforts — led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States — to restore the Gaza ceasefire. A Hamas official told AFP that the Palestinian group anticipated the meeting with Egyptian mediators would yield significant progress. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Express Tribune
27-02-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Seven Palestinian babies die of hypothermia in Gaza amid aid restrictions and cold
Listen to article Seven Palestinian babies have died from hypothermia in Gaza since Sunday, according to local health officials, who warn that the death toll will continue to rise without an increase in humanitarian aid. The babies, mostly newborns, were victims of the harsh winter conditions in Gaza, where the ongoing blockade and destruction of infrastructure have worsened the living conditions for families, particularly those in displacement camps. Dr. Saeed Salah, the medical director at the Patient's Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in northern Gaza, described the rising number of babies suffering from hypothermia as a 'disaster,' and emphasized the urgent need for aid to prevent further deaths. In the past two weeks alone, eight babies with hypothermia have been admitted to Gaza City's medical facilities, and three of them died within hours of arrival. On Tuesday, a 69-day-old baby died from the cold, and on Wednesday, a two-month-old infant also succumbed to hypothermia. According to Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director general of Gaza's Ministry of Health, cold waves are exacerbating the crisis, with newborns being the most vulnerable. "Cold waves are causing more victims every day, especially among newborns, due to the destruction of health facilities, medical equipment, and the lack of essential supplies,' he stated. The dire situation is compounded by a severe shortage of medical resources and shelter. Many displaced families are living in tents, struggling to survive without adequate heating, while hospitals have been destroyed or are operating at minimal capacity. With just 20 out of 35 hospitals partially functioning, the medical system in Gaza is on the brink of collapse. As the humanitarian crisis deepens, international organizations, including the UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians, have condemned the restrictions on aid entering Gaza, blaming Israel's blockade for the preventable deaths of these infants. "Newborns should not be dying of hypothermia in Gaza. This is not a tragedy of nature but a man-made crisis,' said Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director for the NGO. 'If adequate aid, including shelter supplies, were allowed to reach civilians and hospitals, these deaths would be entirely preventable." The ongoing Israeli's war on Gaza, now exacerbated by the harsh winter conditions, has left nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced, many of whom are seeking refuge in tents and makeshift shelters without the resources necessary to survive the cold. As temperatures continue to drop, the need for immediate humanitarian relief, including heating, medical supplies, and shelter materials, becomes more critical than ever. Israel's restrictions on aid shipments have been a major factor in the worsening conditions in Gaza. Despite claims of ceasefire agreements and promises of aid delivery, critical supplies continue to be blocked, leaving the people of Gaza to endure unnecessary suffering. This tragedy highlights the urgent need for the international community to act and ensure that aid reaches those who need it most.
NBC News
26-02-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Newborns in Gaza are dying from the cold as fears rise over ceasefire's next phase
The cold has killed six other children over roughly the past two weeks, according to Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, where families whose homes have been destroyed are forced to sleep in tents and other makeshift shelters. Sila Abdul Qader, less than 2 months old, was the latest to die from the cold weather, Al-Bursh said Wednesday. Al-Shanbari said his daughter had been "100% fine, playing and smiling like usual" in the hours before she died. But, he said, "I live in a tent. It's cold. How could the girl survive?" Night-time temperatures in Gaza over the past week have fallen below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), according to meteorological data. Babies are particularly vulnerable to the cold as they are unable to regulate their body temperature in the same way as adults. More than a year of Israeli bombing and shelling has also shattered the enclave's hospitals, making it difficult, if not impossible, for Palestinians to get basic life-saving medical help. At least 70% of infrastructure in Gaza, including hospitals and schools, and 60% of homes and 65% of roads have been destroyed, the United Nations said this month. More than 48,300 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to local health officials, since Israel launched its offensive after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, in which it said some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage. Medical Aid for Palestinians, a charity based in the U.K., said its team at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis had documented the death of at least one 2-month-old baby in recent days. It said the infant had died from the cold, while three other children were also brought to the hospital recently with cold-related injuries. "All admitted children were previously healthy, with no underlying conditions, but presented with cold injuries and hypothermia," the organization said in a statement sent over WhatsApp. So far this year, at least 15 children have been admitted to Nasser Hospital with cold-related injuries and illness, it added. The deaths come as fears grow about the fragile ceasefire, with the two sides yet to negotiate the second phase of the deal. A proposal from President Donald Trump to "take over" the Gaza Strip has also sparked fears in the region. Early Wednesday, Trump shared on his Truth Social platform what appeared to be an AI-generated video showing a hypothetical future Gaza in which he is pictured lying on a sunbed alongside Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while another scene shows a gold statue in Trump's likeness.
