Special report: Israel launches Gaza assault    

    GAZA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian officials warned on Thursday that the healthcare sector fell short of electricity due to the Israeli air raid on the only power plant in the Gaza Strip a week ago.

    Juma al-Saqa, spokesman for Shifa hospital in Gaza City, told reporters that some hospitals had electricity totally cut, while other hospitals lacked power. He also reminded that intensive care departments needed continuous power supply.

    "The power cut has affected intensive care's equipment, monitoring systems and respirators," said al-Saqa, adding that hundreds of newborn children are endangered with the absence of the electricity.

    Stockpiles of medicine are running down and the fuel that runs generators will be exhausted within six days at maximum while Israel keeps blockading the Gaza Strip, he said.

    Israel destroyed the Gaza power plant at the beginning of the Summer Rain operation in the Gaza Strip to rescue an abducted Israeli soldier on June 28. Enditem