GAZA, 28th January, 2025 (WAM) -- The removal of unexploded ordnance scattered among homes in Rafah, southern Gaza, may take years, delaying reconstruction efforts, according to Pascale Coissard, Emergency Coordinator at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
She noted that the city has been devastated by the Israeli war.
Coissard emphasised the importance of providing healthcare services, humanitarian aid, and rebuilding the city to restore life in Rafah. "Everything in Rafah is destroyed. Homes, shops, streets, and healthcare facilities have been reduced to rubble, with electricity and water systems also severely damaged," she explained.
In related news, medical sources in Gaza revealed that over 95 percent of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the largest medical facility in Gaza, has been destroyed due to the Israeli war, which lasted more than 15 months.
The sources stated that the old, dilapidated outpatient building, which was abandoned before the war, has been repurposed as an emergency and reception department. However, the shortage of medicines has exceeded 60 percent, while medical supplies face an 80 percent deficit.
The sources further noted that since the ceasefire agreement, limited quantities of medicines and medical supplies have entered Gaza through the Erez (Beit Hanoun) and Zikim crossings. However, the supplies are insufficient to meet the urgent needs, particularly as displaced Palestinians from the southern and central regions return to Gaza and northern governorates.