Children play at a tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Gaza City (AP)
NEW DELHI: Palestinian embassy has asked for an urgent help from India as it sounded alarm over its healthcare system which, it said was on the “verge of collapse” due to continued Israeli aggression. “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,” ANI quoted the embassy’s statement saying. “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 added. “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 said.It also urged India to extend medical assistance through its Aarogya Maitri humanitarian initiative, highlighting New Delhi’s broader commitment to supporting global healthcare and disaster-relief efforts. “Recently, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, HE 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 described the situation as a humanitarian disaster of unprecedented proportions, citing figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). It said that only 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are currently functioning partially and highlighted the severe strain on the territory’s healthcare system. The embassy also pointed to acute shortages of medicines, medical equipment, dialysis supplies, blood stocks, and fuel needed to power hospital generators.India has reaffirmed its backing for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, urged the implementation of a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, and said it will shortly disburse $2.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as part of its yearly contribution.
