Why it matters:
Gaza’s already strained healthcare system is now nearing total breakdown. Life-saving treatment is being rationed, or simply unavailable, at a time when thousands of chronic and critical patients depend on consistent access to medicine.
The big picture:
The dire shortages are unfolding against the backdrop of continued conflict and a 15-month blockade that has cut Gaza off from essential medical aid. Border closures have halted the entry of critical supplies, pushing frontline health facilities to the brink.
What it's saying:
In its public statement, the Ministry of Health in Gaza urgently called on international actors and humanitarian organizations to step in and help restock vital drugs and consumables:
“Operating rooms, intensive care units, and emergency departments are running on depleted reserves of life-saving medications and medical essentials.”
Key points:
- Essential drug stocks are critically low.
- 37% of crucial medications are entirely out of stock.
- 59% of crucial medical consumables are at zero supply.
- Chronic illness patients are at risk.
- 80,000 diabetic patients and 110,000 people with hypertension lack access to basic treatment.
- Cancer care has been severely disrupted.
- 54% of cancer and hematology medications are unavailable.
- The Gaza health system is under siege.
- Border closures have blocked the entry of medical aid, worsening the crisis and threatening care for patients and wounded civilians.
Go deeper:
At least 40 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 50,886, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday. A ministry statement said that 146 injured people were also transferred to hospitals, taking the number of injuries to 115,875 in the Israeli onslaught.
Hossein Vaez
