The humanitarian Situation in Gaza remains dire and continues to deteriorate further. As the IDF moves further into Gaza, it is forcing the entirety of Gaza’s remaining population into just 30% of the strip’s area, where the medical situation grows increasingly untenable. The lack of adequate housing in the tiny area Gazans can safely live in, and the continued restrictions Israel puts on supplies entering the strip, mean disease has spread unchecked and those reliant on continued routine treatment, such as patients reliant on dialysis treatment, are increasingly at risk. To ration fuel and ensure equal patient care, dialysis treatments have been shortened beyond effectiveness, leading to increased risk of renal disease.

It is in this environment of shortage and restriction that the East Jerusalem Hospital Network (EJHN) operates and makes its vital impact. They are the only hope for Gazans, and even West Bankers, in need of sustained, complex treatment for their survival. For example, the network treats around 150 Palestinians suffering from cancer each day, the only resource for treatment they have. Even more importantly, the EJHN provides medical training for other health professionals in the West Bank and Gaza, multiplying its impact well beyond the material limits of its own facilities and equipment. The EJHN’s combination of otherwise inaccessible specialized care and training to strengthen the health infrastructure of the West Bank and Gaza make it a cornerstone of the Palestinian healthcare system.

It is critical that members of Congress support funding the East Jerusalem Hospital Network as they have for many years across bipartisan lines. To secure that funding and ensure EJHN can continue to serve the vulnerable of the West Bank and Gaza, urge your Member of Congress to pressure the State Department to allocate the EJHN funds.

Additional resources:

‘Yellow line’, the de facto Israeli buffer zone shaping life in Gaza | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera