Gaza’s Health Ministry has called for an increase in medicines, medical supplies and laboratory supplies, warning of serious shortages after more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and a crippling blockade.
The ministry said on Sunday that the shortage was making it difficult to provide diagnostic and treatment services.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
Doctors in the war-torn Palestinian territory have long warned that they are struggling to save lives because Israel is not allowing in the most essential medical supplies. During Israel’s genocidal war, which has lasted more than two years, almost all hospitals and healthcare facilities in Gaza were attacked, with at least 125 healthcare facilities damaged, including 34 hospitals.
“The number of items completely out of stock on the list of essential medicines has reached 321, representing a shortage of 52 percent,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
“The number of completely out-of-stock items on the list of medical consumables has reached 710, representing a shortage of 71 percent. The shortage rate of laboratory tests and blood bank supplies has reached 59 percent,” it added.
The most critical drug shortages are in emergency services, particularly life-saving intravenous solutions, intravenous antibiotics and pain relievers, the ministry said.
The shortage of emergency and intensive care services is potentially depriving 200,000 patients of emergency care, 100,000 patients of surgical services and 700 patients of intensive care, he added.
The ministry cited additional shortages in renal, oncology, open heart surgery and orthopedic supplies, among others.
“Given these alarming figures, and with the occupation continuing to reduce the number of medical trucks entering Gaza to less than 30 percent of monthly needs, and with insufficient supplies available, the Ministry of Health urgently calls on all relevant parties to fully assume their responsibilities in implementing emergency interventions,” he said.
Despite a US-backed ceasefire that went into effect on October 10, Israel continues to violate its agreement with Hamas by not allowing in agreed quantities of medical aid trucks, deepening what Gaza’s Health Ministry has described as a critical and ongoing health emergency.
Amid a shortage of medical supplies, 1,500 children are waiting for border crossings to open to travel and receive treatment outside Gaza.
Zaher Al Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s Information Unit, said on Sunday that 1,200 patients, including 155 children, have died after failing to be evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment.
Palestinian detainees released
Meanwhile, six Palestinian detainees released from Israeli detention arrived at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah on Sunday for medical treatment, according to medical sources. A correspondent for the Anadolu news agency said the men were transferred through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Human rights groups say Israel had detained the men without clear legal procedures. The ICRC says it has not been granted access to Palestinians detained in Israel since October 2023, and warns that international humanitarian law requires humane treatment and family contact.
The releases are part of sporadic Israeli actions involving detainees in Gaza held for months. Many former prisoners report malnutrition and injuries caused by abuse.
Some 1,700 detainees were released in October under the ceasefire agreement, but more than 10,000 Palestinians – including women and children – remain in Israeli prisons, where human rights groups report widespread abuse, hunger and medical neglect.
Elsewhere in the enclave, the Gaza Civil Defense said it rescued five people, including a child and two women, who were trapped under the collapsed roof of their home in Sheikh Radwan, northwest of Gaza City.
The roof collapse killed four people, according to Gaza’s Ministry of the Interior and National Security.
According to the ministry, at least 18 people have died due to the collapse of 46 buildings in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect.
More than 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and more than 171,000 wounded in attacks in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023.
