Gaza Health Ministry urges Jordan’s king to reactivate field hospitals

Gaza’s Health Ministry issued an urgent appeal to Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday to order the reactivation of Jordanian field hospitals in the battered enclave, citing the dire collapse of the health sector under Israel’s ongoing genocidal war.

In a statement, the ministry expressed its “deep gratitude and appreciation” to the Jordanian king, recalling his 2009 directive to establish a Jordanian field hospital in Gaza.

The ministry stressed the urgent need to resume inpatient admissions at the Gaza City field hospital, noting that it has not admitted any cases for several months “despite the desperate need for every hospital bed.”

It warned of a severe strain on hospitals in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where the Jordanian field hospital has been reduced to just 17 beds, while nearly 1,000 patients are being treated only a short distance away at Nasser Medical Complex.

The appeal comes as Gaza’s healthcare system has been decimated by nearly two years of relentless Israeli bombardment, siege, and famine, leaving hospitals overwhelmed and short of medicine, fuel, and equipment.

The Israeli genocidal war in Gaza has killed nearly 64,400 Palestinians since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.