Only Cancer Hospital in Gaza Goes Out of Service

Foreign passport holders were seen entering Rafah Crossing on Wednesday, 1 November. At least 40 Egyptian ambulances have entered the Gaza Strip. Telecommunication providers Paltel and Jawwal, report a complete disruption of communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip as the war on Gaza enters its 26th day.

Update 5: The only cancer treatment hospital in Gaza has completely gone out of service after it was struck by Israeli war jets on Monday, 30 October, Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kailaconfirmed.

The director of the Turkish-Friendship Hospital in Gaza Dr. Subhi Shaik said that the hospital has used up its fuel and is now out of service.

In a statement, al-Kaila said that the number of hospitals not operating in the Strip amounts to 16 out of 25.

“The lives of 70 cancer patients inside the hospital are seriously threatened,” al-Kail said in a statement. “The number of cancer patients in the Gaza Strip is about 2,000 living in catastrophic health conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip and the displacement of a large number,” al-Kaila added.

Update 4: Director in the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights ((OHCHR) in New York, Craig Mokhiber resigned in protest against the response of UN bodies to the situation in Gaza.

“Once again, we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes, and the organization that we serve appears powerless to stop it,” Mokhiber wrote in his letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on 28 October.

Update 3: Bolivia has announced severing its diplomatic relations with Israel over the Gaza attacks, Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani announced in a press conference on Tuesday, 31 October.

The Bolivian government condemns the “aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive at Gaza, as well as the threat to international peace and security,” Mamani said. Bolivia’s Minister of the Presidency María Nela Prada described Israel’s actions as “crimes against humanity” and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Neighboring countries Chile and Colombia also announced recalling their ambassadors, citing the Israeli violations of humanitarian law.

Update 2: Foreign passport holders have been seen entering from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah Crossing on Wednesday, 1 November, for the first time since 7 October. Several Egyptian ambulances have also entered the Gaza Strip to transport a number of injured Palestinians to Egypt for treatment.

The Crossing was previously opened to allow a limited number of aid trucks into Gaza.

Update 1: Telecommunication providers in Gaza, Paltel and Jawwal, reported on Instagram a complete disruption of communications and internet services in the Gaza Strip.

Communication was previously cut off from the Strip on Friday, 27 October, despite repeated warnings by UN bodies of an impending humanitarian catastrophe. Communications returned to Gaza on Saturday, 29 October.

The Conflict So Far

After a surprise attack conducted on 7 October by Hamas on a number of southern Israeli towns which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,405 people and more than 220 being taken hostage by Hamas, Israel launched a retaliatory bombing campaign against what it describes as ‘terrorist targets’ in the Gaza Strip.

At least 8,720 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip — including more than 3,600 children — and over 22,000 others injured. Meanwhile over 340 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and around 2,100 have been injured.

The priority of the Egyptian government since the beginning of the conflict has been deescalation and the securing of a path for aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing. Israel bombed the crossing at least six times, and 80 aid trucks have crossed to Gaza so far, which UN officials warn is insufficient amid dire humanitarian conditions.

Most Western countries, with the United States at the forefront, have expressed unconditional support for Israel, despite the steadily rising death toll in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly has issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire.