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Palestinian health minister: Ministry debt tops $1.3 billion, threatening services
Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said his ministry’s debt has exceeded $1.3 billion, blaming Israel’s withholding of clearance revenues for deepening the crisis. He made the remarks at the opening of the third Arab-Chinese Forum for Health Cooperation in Cairo.
Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said his ministry’s debt has exceeded $1.3 billion, warning that this threatens its ability to meet growing medical and humanitarian needs, according to a ministry statement carrying his remarks at the opening of the third Arab-Chinese Forum for Health Cooperation in Cairo, the Egyptian capital.
Abu Ramadan said the Palestinian Authority is facing a financial crisis as needs increase, stating: “Our debt, which exceeds $1.3 billion, threatens health services.” He said Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues is deepening the crisis, weakening the government’s and the Health Ministry’s ability to meet their obligations and ensure the continuity of services.
“One of the worst crises in Gaza’s history”
The minister said Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip had caused widespread destruction to hospitals, health centers and infrastructure, stressing that residents of the Strip are facing “one of the worst humanitarian and health crises in their history” amid acute shortages of medical supplies, equipment and fuel.
He stressed that health is a fundamental human right that must not be held hostage to political or economic circumstances, and that protecting this right in Palestine is not the responsibility of Palestinians alone but a “humanitarian test” for the international community.
This comes as a low-pressure system has been affecting the Strip since Friday evening. Munir al-Barsh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, said 350,000 displaced people were spending the night in the open after their tents were flooded, asking: “Is the world waiting for our children to freeze?” The Government Media Office said 70,000 tents were flooded during the first 12 hours of the system.
According to the latest data from Gaza’s Health Ministry, 1,610 people have been killed and 5,819 injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect, while the overall toll since October 2023 has surpassed 74,000 killed and 175,000 injured.
Photos: Anadolu
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