Ramallah, Palestine

The occupancy rate in Gaza's hospitals has reached more than 150%, the Palestinian health minister has announced as the besieged enclave continues to face weeks of relentless Israeli attacks.

"The occupancy rate of hospitals in Gaza reaches more than 150%, while the number of patients in Al-Shifa Medical Complex has reached 5,000 patients, and it is designated to receive only 700 patients," Mai Al-Kaila said on Sunday during a meeting with Germany's Special Envoy for Humanitarian Issues Deike Potzelm.

In talks on the health and humanitarian situation in Palestine, al-Kaila briefed the delegation on the latest developments, particularly in the Gaza Strip, which she said is in a state of "catastrophe," according to a statement released by the Health Ministry.

The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas group on Oct. 7.

Many hospitals in Gaza are no longer in operation due to bombing, aggression, and running out of fuel, al-Kaila noted, according to the statement.

She asked Potzelm to "work to stop the aggression and bring in medical supplies and medicine to treat the sick and wounded, prevent a humanitarian catastrophe greater than the one facing Gaza these days."

"Hospitals cannot be evacuated, as they are full of sick and injured people, in addition to thousands of displaced people who found a safe haven in the hospital courtyards," the minister added.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 8,306, including 3,457 children and 2,136 women, while more than 21,000 have been are injured, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

More than 1,500 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.

Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari on announced Saturday that Israeli forces were expanding their operations and moving to the "next phase of our war against Hamas," which includes ground operations.

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are meanwhile grappling with shortages of food, water, fuel and medicine due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat