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First medical team arrives in Gaza via Rafah crossing, Red Cross confirms

Among these ten doctors are "several military surgeons and an infectious disease specialist"

CAIRO, October 27. /TASS/. A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that the first medical team consisting of foreign doctors entered the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing, the Al-Hadath television channel reported.

According to the ICRC spokesperson, "the first medical team that entered Gaza since the start of an armed conflict in the Strip consists of 10 doctors." He explained that among these doctors were "several military surgeons and an infectious disease specialist."

It was previously reported that the first delegation of foreign doctors entered Gaza alongside another convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian aid into the enclave. Prior to their crossing Rafah into Gaza, the delegation met with representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Egypt.

The Palestinian movement Hamas, which governs Gaza, said earlier that the enclave’s healthcare system was facing a catastrophic situation, as its hospitals are short of medicines, equipment and fuel. According to Hamas, the enclave’s medical institutions are not receiving any fuel and electricity, as well as necessary medicines and medical equipment, and also badly lack hospital beds and staff. Moreover, some hospitals have either been destroyed or damaged by shelling, while others have been converted into temporary shelters for people who lost their homes.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank

According to the latest statistics, more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed and over 5,200 more wounded during the conflict. More than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 18,500 wounded as a result of Israel’s strikes on Gaza, the local health ministry said.