Gaza City, April 22 (RHC)-- COVID-19 deaths in the Gaza Strip have reached an all-time high amid a spike in infections. The enclave’s health system facing a sharp increase in the number of critical cases has been battered by the Israeli blockade and multiple wars since 2007.

At least 33 patients have died since Tuesday amid a surge in infections.  Meanwhile, over 1,200 infections were reported on Wednesday with the infection rate among tested samples close to 40 percent.  Around ninety four thousand Gazans are known to have been infected with the coronavirus mostly since late August 2020.

Despite the increasing number of coronavirus infections the Israeli regime continues to place tight restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies.  The impoverished enclave lacks many resources to combat the coronavirus pandemic and suffers from shortages of medicines and hospital supplies due to the crippling Israeli blockade.

The Israeli regime has systematically destroyed Gaza’s health system and almost paralyzed its ability to provide health services during the pandemic.  During the 2014 war, Israeli forces attacked 17 hospitals and 56 health centers in the blockaded enclave.

Currently around 70 percent of ICU beds are occupied by COVID-19 patients.  As deaths and infections continue to rise, rights groups are calling for the complete lifting of the Israeli blockade to help fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus.