Palestinian Ambassador to India, Abdullah M Abu Shawesh, on Friday, 3 July described the situation in Gaza as 'miserable', warning that the territory's healthcare system is on the verge of total collapse with over 11,000 surgeries already postponed and critical medicines in severe short supply. Speaking in New Delhi, Shawesh called on India to step up medical assistance to the besieged enclave.

The Ground Reality in Gaza

Shawesh painted a stark picture of conditions inside Gaza, describing it as 'the most densely populated area in the world — 365 square kilometres containing 2.3 million human beings.' He said that 70 per cent of the territory had, in his words, already been 'ethnically cleansed,' and that the declared objective of Israeli forces was to expel Palestinians from Gaza entirely.

'Their declared goal is to completely destroy it,' he said, adding that a significant report issued by the United Nations had documented the complete destruction of Palestinian childhood. He noted that for the third consecutive year, Palestinian children had not attended school — with two of those years seeing 'not a single day of schooling.'

Healthcare System Near Breaking Point

'When it comes to the current situation of the health system, it's on the brink of collapsing. 11,000 surgeries have been postponed. The vast majority of life-saving medicines and tablets are short of supply,' Shawesh said.

He highlighted that thousands of Palestinians who had sustained life-altering injuries were in desperate need of medical evacuation, but alleged that Israel was not permitting such evacuations. The shortage of essential medicines, he said, was compounding an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

India's Role and UNRWA Funding

The Ambassador expressed confidence in India's continued support, noting that the Indian government had recently renewed its yearly financial pledge to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) — the UN body responsible for Palestinian refugees. He described this as a 'crucial' gesture at a time of acute need.

'Indian people also reach out to us especially when it comes to the health sector... A lot of promises have been made to help when it comes to medicine and other health issues,' Shawesh said, adding that he expected India to provide direct medical assistance to Gaza in the near term.

Broader Humanitarian Context

The ambassador's remarks come amid intensifying international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Multiple UN agencies have warned of famine-level conditions, while healthcare infrastructure across the territory has been repeatedly struck, according to international observers. This is the third year of sustained conflict, and humanitarian access remains severely restricted, according to reports.

With India holding growing diplomatic weight in the region and maintaining ties with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, New Delhi's response to the medical crisis will be closely watched by both sides.