"If not India, then who?" | Palestine appeals for urgent aid as healthcare systems crumble

The Embassy of Palestine to India has issued an urgent appeal for immediate international and Indian intervention for medical aid, asserting that the healthcare sector in the territory has reached a breaking point and is on the "verge of total collapse". "The Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Republic of India expresses its profound concern over the catastrophic collapse of the healthcare sector in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a direct result of the ongoing Israeli genocidal war, military attacks, mass destruction of medical infrastructure, severe restrictions on humanitarian access and financial strangulation measures," the embassy said in an official statement on Friday.

"It is the exact moment to save thousands of innocent lives. If not India and the Indian people; then who? If not now; then when? Every life matters," the statement said. "The Palestinian people continue to look toward the conscience of humanity and toward India's historic commitment to justice, humanitarian values, anti-colonial principles, and support for oppressed peoples," it added. The Embassy further called on India to provide medical aid under the "Aarogya Maitri" humanitarian initiative, which extends India's commitment to global health and disaster relief."Recently, the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, H.E. Narendra Modi, announced the "Aarogya Maitri" project, where he pledged, and I quote his words: "Under this project, India will provide essential medical supplies to any developing country affected by natural disasters or humanitarian crises." End quote," the statement read.

The Embassy detailed what it described as a "humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented scale, citing World Health Organization (WHO) data. According to the embassy, only 19 out of 36 hospitals in the territory remain "partially operational", while also underscoring the devastating condition of the hospitals in Gaza, along with a "critical shortage" of medicines, equipment, dialysis supplies, blood units, and fuel to run hospital generators. "On the 986th day of the ongoing Israeli genocidal war, the healthcare system in the Gaza Strip has reached an unprecedented level of devastation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 19 out of 36 hospitals remain partially operational under extremely limited emergency conditions. The World Health Organization has warned that Gaza's health system has reached a breaking point," the statement noted. The Embassy highlighted the urgent need for the medical evacuation of thousands of patients, amid the deteriorating treatment facilities.

"International humanitarian organizations have further reported critical shortages of anaesthesia, antibiotics, dialysis supplies, blood units, surgical equipment, insulin, and fuel required to operate hospital generators. The ongoing Israeli military genocidal war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, casualties, and injuries, overwhelming the remaining healthcare facilities, while thousands of patients continue to remain in urgent need of medical evacuation outside the Gaza Strip," it added. The Embassy highlighted that the spread of skin diseases, rodent-related infections, and the presence of thousands of bodies trapped under rubble have created conditions that threaten the most vulnerable, particularly children and those with compromised immune systems.