Gaza patients facing death as Israel continues to block medical supplies

A senior health official has warned that Gaza’s healthcare system is in danger of a catastrophic collapse as thousands of patients are facing disability or death as a result of the harsh Israeli occupation.

The situation inside Gaza’s hospitals was “tragic and horrific,” according to Munir al-Barsh, the director-general of the country’s Ministry of Health, as Israeli authorities continued to obstruct the flow of desperately needed medical supplies, directly affecting doctors’ ability to treat patients in critical situations.

Doctors in Gaza’s war-ravaged region have long warned that Israel’s refusal to let the most crucial medical supplies in has gravely hampered their efforts to save lives. Israel continues to violate its agreement with Hamas despite a US-backed ceasefire that was effective in October, furthering what the Health Ministry has called a critical and ongoing health emergency.

Al-Barsh claimed that there were frequent shortages of medical supplies and medications, particularly surgical supplies, needed to perform operations.

He claimed that nearly three-quarters of the supplies were inaccessible, with severe shortages of solutions, anaesthetics, gauze, and dialysis supplies, as well as power outages and a significant shortage of generators, which also hampered their work.

He claimed that this was the most dangerous situation since the Palestinian Authority’s founding more than 30 years ago.

Nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities have been attacked, including 34 hospitals, during Israel’s genocidal war, which has lasted for more than two years. In its brutal war, Israel killed more than 1,700 health workers. 95 Palestinian doctors and medical personnel, including 80 from Gaza, are still being held by Israel.

Thousands of people are awaiting medical care abroad.

Al-Barsh claimed that the situation had an impact on people who were also injured by Israeli aggression.

Nearly 40, 000 pregnant women were living in subpar shelters, jeopardizing their health and that of their unborn children, while 4, 000 glaucoma patients were facing the risk of permanent blindness due to a lack of treatment options.

He warned that as a result of Israeli restrictions on aid that is urgently needed in the enclave, an estimated 320, 000 children under five years were at risk of malnutrition.

Waiting lists were long and patients were dying while receiving medical attention, despite the existence of a system for transporting patients outside Gaza for treatment.

According to Al-Barsh, at least 1, 156 patients died while receiving medical care, a “lengthy and complex” process that saw doctors’ referrals from Gaza evaluated by the World Health Organization (WHO) before being sent to Israeli authorities for security clearance.

He claimed that there were nearly 20 000 patients in Gaza who were on waiting lists for travel, with about 3,700 of them in critical condition and 18,500 of whom had received WHO approval.

He claimed that there were about 4,300 children waiting to be transferred out of the territory.

He urged Israel to immediately impose border crossings to facilitate the movement of desperately needed humanitarian supplies and permit the transport of thousands of critical patients for treatment, and warned that any additional delays could result in lost lives.