The Gaza Health Ministry has announced it has run out of 30 percent of medicine and basic medical requirements due to the ongoing closure of Rafah border crossing by Egypt, Anadolu news agency reported.
In a press conference held at Ministry of Information on Sunday, Minister Mufiz al-Makhalalati said, “The closure of the border in a semi-permanent way has led to running out of 145 kinds of medicines and medical requirements.”
The closure has also deprived around 450 cases from treatment, as they used to be transferred to Egyptian hospitals for treatment, he said.
“Three patients have died since the blockade has been imposed and closure of Rafah border nine months ago,” the minister added.
The closure, according to Makhalalati, has also prevented the arrival of the medical teams.
Makhalalati called on the international community, all human rights organizations and International Committee of the Red Cross to pressure Israel to lift the blockade and allow freedom of transportation as well as entrance of medicine and necessary construction materials.
He also called on Egyptian authorities to ease the suffering of Palestinian people and open the border, being an Egyptian-Palestinian border, in two directions.
Egyptian authorities close the border is a semi-permanent way and partially open it infrequently for humanitarian cases since the beginning of July.
Egypt accuses Hamas, which runs the Gaza strip, of intervention within local affairs and taking part in explosions and terrorist actions, which the movement always deny.
Edited translation from Anadolu Agency
