‘India is our elder brother…’ Palestine makes very emotional plea to PM Modi amid devastation in Gaza

On one hand, there are positive reports of reduction in tension between America and Iran at the global level, on the other hand, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza Strip is continuously deepening. At this very critical juncture, Palestine has once again looked towards India with hopeful eyes and made a very emotional appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save the lives of the people of Gaza.

Palestine’s Ambassador to India Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh has given a big statement saying that the ‘Arogya Maitri’ initiative started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi can now prove to be a lifeline for thousands of innocent people of Gaza. Referring to the historical relations between India and Palestine, Ambassador Abu Shawesh said that his country has long considered India as its true friend and elder brother. He expressed full hope that India will come forward on humanitarian grounds and provide support to Gaza’s completely collapsed health sector.

Only crisis left in hospitals, health system collapsed

According to the Palestinian Ambassador, Gaza’s entire health system has almost collapsed due to Israeli military operations and continuous attacks. The hospitals there are currently facing a very serious resource crisis. Citing frightening figures from international health agencies and humanitarian organizations, he said that out of the total 36 hospitals in Gaza, now only 19 hospitals are left which are partially functioning.

The situation has become so bad that there is an acute shortage of antibiotics, anesthesia, dialysis material and surgical equipment in hospitals. Along with this, there has also been a serious shortage of blood units and insulin, which are considered life-saving for patients. The biggest problem is that there is a severe shortage of fuel required to run the big generators of hospitals, due to which power failure can occur at any time. In such a situation, thousands of serious patients in Gaza need immediate medical evacuation, so that they can be taken out safely and given treatment.

Nearly 180 essential medicines are completely gone.

According to the latest and sobering figures released by the Palestinian Health Ministry, approximately 520 critically needed medicines are currently in urgent need in Gaza. It is a matter of great concern that the stock of about 180 of these essential medicines has been completely exhausted in the hospitals.

The biggest impact of this crisis is on patients suffering from serious diseases. Of the 97 specialized medicines used to treat deadly diseases such as cancer and tumors, 50 are no longer available in Gaza. Due to this shortage of medicines, the life-saving treatment of about 4,000 cancer patients has been seriously affected and their lives are in danger.

Dead bodies under debris and increased risk of infectious diseases

Describing the ground situation in Gaza, Ambassador Abu Shawesh said that the situation there is becoming more dire with each passing day, with millions of buildings razed to the ground and thousands of bodies buried under the debris. There is a severe shortage of clean drinking water in the war-affected areas and huge piles of garbage have formed everywhere. Because of this filth, the threat of infectious diseases is now spreading rapidly in Gaza.

In view of these circumstances, the Palestinian Ambassador has made an emotional appeal to the Indian Government, Indian medical institutions, major humanitarian organizations and civil society of the country to cooperate in delivering medicines, modern medical equipment and other necessary relief materials to Gaza.

Welcomed the agreement between America and Iran

Responding to the recent agreement between the US and Iran during the interview, the Palestinian Ambassador said that if this entire process moves towards establishing lasting peace in the region, then it should be heartily welcomed. He believes that peace is the strongest foundation for any humanitarian effort and if there is stability in the region, it will bring great relief to the troubled Palestinian people.

It is noteworthy that India has always had a history of providing humanitarian aid to Palestine, but along with this, India has also kept its strategic relations with Israel very strong. In such a situation, this request made by Palestine directly to PM Modi in the midst of this dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, is being considered very important and sensitive in terms of India’s West Asia policy and its global humanitarian diplomacy.