The Palestinian health minister on Wednesday called on the United States to pressure Israel to open the Rafah crossing for humanitarian aid, highlighting the urgent need for relief.
“There is no indication when they want to open it,” said Palestinian minister Majed Abu Ramadan at the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
He stressed the importance of international support, particularly from the U.S., to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
The Rafah crossing was a key entry point for humanitarian aid before Israel intensified its military actions on the Gaza border earlier this month, seizing control from the Palestinian side.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the closure of Rafah has severely impacted the delivery of essential medical supplies to Gaza, which has been under Israeli offensive since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel.
Abu Ramadan expressed grave concerns over the situation, describing it as “really very, very catastrophic.”
He noted that Israel’s recent military actions included sending tanks into Rafah, despite an International Court of Justice order to cease attacks on the city.
The ongoing conflict has forced around one million people to flee their homes in Gaza, seeking refuge from the bombardment, according to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA).
The health minister highlighted the devastating impact on Gaza’s healthcare system.
“More than 80% of our structures were wiped out, destroyed either totally or partially, including hospitals, nurseries, primary health care,” he said.
The lack of medical facilities and equipment has led to dire consequences for patients.
“Patients of cancer and blood diseases are dying because they cannot get their chemotherapy, and they cannot go out for radiotherapy.
]Many people lost their limbs, one or more, unnecessarily because there is no facility to treat them or the equipment.”
The Palestinian health minister’s plea underscores the urgent need for international intervention to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip, where the health crisis continues to worsen.