Medicine shortages in Gaza reach alarming levels amid Israeli siege: Health ministry

Gaza’s Ministry of Health has warned of severe and worsening shortages of medicines and medical supplies, saying the crisis is crippling the territory’s ability to provide emergency and life-saving care amid Israel’s ongoing blockade.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the ministry said shortages of drugs, medical consumables and laboratory supplies were making it increasingly difficult to deliver diagnostic and treatment services across Gaza, after more than two years of genocidal war and a sustained blockade.

According to the ministry, 321 essential medicines are completely out of stock, representing a 52 percent shortage.

Medical consumables are even more critically affected, with 710 items unavailable — a shortage rate of 71 percent. Laboratory tests and blood bank supplies are also severely depleted, with a shortage rate of 59 percent.

The most critical gaps are in emergency services, particularly life-saving intravenous fluids, intravenous antibiotics, and painkillers.

The ministry warned that the lack of supplies could deprive around 200,000 patients of emergency care, 100,000 patients of surgical services, and approximately 700 patients of intensive care.

“Given these alarming figures, and with the continued reduction by the occupation of the number of medical trucks entering Gaza to less than 30 percent of the monthly need, and with the insufficient quantity of supplies available, the Ministry of Health urgently appeals to all relevant parties to fully assume their responsibilities in implementing emergency interventions,” it said.

Doctors in Gaza have repeatedly said they are struggling to save lives as Israel continues to restrict the entry of essential medical supplies.

Nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities have been attacked during the war, with at least 125 health facilities damaged, including 34 hospitals, according to health officials.

Additional shortages have been reported in supplies for kidney treatment, cancer care, open-heart surgery, and orthopedics.

Israel blocks 6,000 aid trucks from entering Gaza despite ceasefire: UNRWA

UNRWA says the Israeli regime blocks the entry of around 6,000 trucks loaded with essential humanitarian supplies bound for the Gaza Strip.

Amid the shortages, around 1,500 children are waiting for border crossings to open so they can travel abroad for treatment.

Zaher Al Waheidi, head of the ministry’s Information Unit, said that at least 1,200 patients, including 155 children, have died after being unable to leave Gaza for urgent medical care.

Under the ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, which took effect on October 10, Israel was required to open border crossings and allow unrestricted entry of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid.

However, Israel has largely ignored these obligations. Most crossings remain closed, and only a trickle of supplies is permitted into a territory devastated by nearly two years of relentless war and genocide.

The Gaza Health Ministry says that since Israel’s genocidal assault began on October 7, 2023, at least 440 people, including more than 150 children, have died from hunger.

Since Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, it has killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000 others, most of them women and children.

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