Western countries express concern over the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.. and the occupation kills a child

Britain, Canada, France, and other countries expressed in a joint statement today, Tuesday, their deep concern over the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and called on Israel to take urgent measures.

The statement issued by the foreign ministers of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and Britain stated: "We express our deep concern over the renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which remains catastrophic."

On the ground, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian child on Tuesday by shooting at her in the Tuffah neighborhood east of Gaza City.

The child Dana Hussein Muqat (11 years old) was martyred in the Zarqa area of the Tuffah neighborhood, which is among the areas from which the Israeli army withdrew under the ceasefire agreement.

This comes amid the ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10, resulting in the martyrdom of 414 Palestinians and the injury of 1,145 others.

Humanitarian-wise, the Health Ministry in Gaza warned on Tuesday that cancer patients in the sector face a "slow death sentence" amid a severe shortage of medicines and widespread deprivation of diagnostic services.

The medical director of the "Gaza Cancer Center" affiliated with the ministry, Muhammad Abu Nada, stated in a statement: "Cancer patients face a slow death sentence, which heralds an unprecedented humanitarian and health catastrophe with serious consequences that cannot be remedied."

This shortage results from the Israeli occupation authorities' failure to fulfill their obligations stipulated in the ceasefire agreement regarding opening crossings and allowing patients to travel for treatment, in addition to importing the agreed quantities of medical aid.

On December 21, the Health Ministry in Gaza stated in a statement that the shortage in the list of therapeutic oncology drugs reached 70% due to the closure of crossings, causing the death of several cancer patients.

Abu Nada confirmed the existence of a "major shortage in the list of oncology drugs, in addition to depriving patients of diagnostic services, and the continued closure of crossings for their exit for treatment abroad is the completion of the triangle of death that threatens their lives at any moment."

He called on the international community to take urgent action to ensure the safe and rapid exit of cancer patients from Gaza for treatment abroad, considering it "the only way to save their lives."

In a previous statement, the Health Ministry in Gaza said that Israel continues to reduce the entry of medical trucks into the sector to less than 30% of the monthly need, causing a shortage in the drug list reaching 52%, and in medical supplies reaching 71%.

This shortage crisis is added to the difficult reality experienced by the health system in Gaza due to its exposure during the two years of genocide to systematic Israeli targeting that affected hospitals, medical facilities, drug warehouses, and the working staff in the field.

Despite the end of the genocide with the entry of the ceasefire agreement into effect on October 10, the ministry confirmed earlier a state of "dangerous and unprecedented depletion" suffered by the health system, leading to a sharp decline in its ability to provide diagnostic and therapeutic services.