Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza

Gaza, Dec 22: Gaza’s Ministry of Health has issued an urgent appeal for medicines, medical consumables and laboratory supplies, warning of an escalating health crisis caused by severe shortages after more than two years of Israel’s war on Gaza and a crippling blockade.

In a statement released on Sunday, the ministry said the lack of essential supplies has severely hampered diagnostic and treatment services across the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave. Doctors have repeatedly warned that lives are being lost as Israel continues to restrict the entry of vital medical aid into Gaza.

According to the ministry, nearly all hospitals and healthcare facilities in Gaza have been targeted during the war, with at least 125 health facilities damaged, including 34 hospitals.

“The number of essential medicines that are completely out of stock has reached 321, representing a 52 per cent shortage,” the ministry said. It added that 710 items of medical consumables are unavailable, amounting to a 71 per cent shortage, while laboratory and blood bank supplies face a deficit of 59 per cent.

The most critical shortages are affecting emergency services, particularly life-saving intravenous fluids, intravenous antibiotics and painkillers. The ministry warned that the lack of supplies in emergency and intensive care units could deprive nearly 200,000 patients of emergency care, 100,000 patients of surgical services and around 700 patients of intensive care.

Additional shortages were reported in departments dealing with kidney disease, oncology, open-heart surgery and orthopaedics.

“With medical aid trucks entering Gaza at less than 30 per cent of the monthly requirement, and with the quantities available far from sufficient, the Ministry of Health urgently calls on all concerned parties to fulfil their responsibilities and implement immediate emergency interventions,” the statement said.

Despite a United States-backed ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, the ministry said Israel continues to violate the agreement by failing to allow the agreed number of medical aid trucks into Gaza, deepening what it described as a critical and ongoing health emergency.

Amid the shortages, around 1,500 children are currently awaiting the reopening of border crossings to travel outside Gaza for medical treatment. Zaher Al Waheidi, head of the Health Ministry’s Information Unit, said 1,200 patients, including 155 children, have died after being unable to leave Gaza for specialised care.

Meanwhile, six Palestinian detainees released from Israeli custody were admitted to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah on Sunday for medical treatment, according to medical sources. The men were transferred through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Rights groups have alleged that the detainees were held without due legal process and subjected to abuse. The ICRC has said it has been denied access to Palestinian detainees since October 2023.

Elsewhere, Gaza’s Civil Defence said five people, including a child and two women, were rescued after being trapped under a collapsed house roof in Sheikh Radwan, northwest of Gaza City. The incident killed four people, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security. Officials said at least 18 people have died due to the collapse of 46 buildings since the ceasefire began.

According to health authorities, more than 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 171,000 injured in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023.