Assault threatens to worsen pandemic

It was just a week ago that a surge in coronavirus cases in the Gaza Strip, the worst there since the pandemic began, appeared to be finally waning. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza, had eased public health restrictions, even as some hospital wards remained stubbornly crowded.

But Israel’s military assault on Gaza is threatening to undo those fragile gains. The fighting could cripple the enclave’s overstretched healthcare system, aid agencies warn, helping seed new coronavirus outbreaks amid the chaos of war.

Medical facilities, triaging a flood of injured people, have for the most part paused coronavirus testing and vaccinations, humanitarian workers say. And hospitalised Covid-19 patients who were nearing recovery have been released to make room for the growing number of war wounded.

The territory of about 2 million people already faces critical shortages of basic medicines, medical equipment and qualified hospital staff. ‘‘Covid-19 put the already fragile healthcare system on edge,’’ said Suhair Zakkout, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza.

If the conflict intensified, Gaza’s healthcare system ‘‘will not be able to cope’’, Zakkout said. ‘‘More wounded and more Covid-19 patients will likely bring it to, or close to, a total collapse.’’

Gaza has reported more than 103,000 coronavirus infections and at least 930 deaths.