Ramallah, April 9 (RHC)-- The Palestinian Health Ministry has warned of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip if Israel does not lift its crippling siege on the region. The ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told reporters that the health situation was worsening in the impoverished coastal enclave due to Israel’s siege.

The official said that hundreds of patients in the coastal territory were in life-threatening conditions as they were in urgent need of medical treatment, warning that their lives will be at risk.

The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli siege since 2007. The blockade, which has cut off the territory from the outside world, has led to an economic and humanitarian crisis in the densely-populated enclave.

In March, the United Nations expressed concerns about the economic situation in the Gaza Strip, saying the lifting of the Israeli siege on the coastal enclave is the “prerequisite” for reviving its economy.