PA Ministry of Health Sends $1.5 Million in Medical Supplies to Gaza

Ramallah, 22 Rabiul Akhir 1437/1 February 2016 (MINA) – The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health sent a medical aid convoy worth over six million shekels ($1,514,617) to Gaza in 18 truckloads of medicine and medical equipment, a statement said Sunday.

The supplies included medicine for chronic diseases as well as venous solutions, antibiotics, baby formula, lab equipment and emergency room equipment, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) quoted Ma’an news as reporting.

Last year, Gaza’s ministry of health warned that the lives of Gazans were at risk if the Israeli-Egyptian blockade continued.

While Israel’s Gaza offensive last summer left more than 10,000 Gazans injured, the fighting also caused severe damage to the enclave’s water, sanitation, energy, and medical facilities.

At the end of September, the World Bank said only a third of donor aid pledged to Gaza in the aftermath of 2014’s devastating war had been dispersed, amounting to $881 million less than was  promised.

The World Bank warned that unless Israel’s blockade was lifted, Gaza could expect to face further turmoil ahead.

The UN has also warned that unless current trends are altered, Gaza could become uninhabitable for residents in just five years.

“The social, health and security-related ramifications of the high population density and overcrowding are among the factors that may render Gaza unlivable by 2020,” the UN’s development agency said in September. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)