Gaza patients facing death as Israel continues to block medical supplies
Gaza’s health system is on the brink of an unprecedented collapse, with thousands of patients facing death or disability amid a harsh Israeli siege on the enclave, a top health official has warned.
Munir al-Barsh, director-general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that the situation inside the territory’s hospitals was “tragic and horrific”, as Israeli authorities continued to block the flow of much-needed medical supplies, directly impacting the ability of doctors to respond to critical cases.
Doctors in war-ravaged Gaza have long warned that their efforts to save lives are being badly hampered by Israel’s refusal to allow the most essential medical supplies in. Despite a United States-backed ceasefire that took effect in October, Israel continues to violate its agreement with Hamas by failing to allow in agreed quantities of medical aid trucks, deepening what the Health Ministry has described as a critical and ongoing health emergency.
Al-Barsh said the health system was suffering from widespread shortages of medicines and medical supplies, particularly surgical consumables needed to perform operations. He said nearly three-quarters of the supplies needed were unavailable, with severe shortages of solutions, anaesthetics, gauze and dialysis supplies, while power outages and a significant shortage of generators were also hampering their work.
Gaza buildings bombed by Israel become refuge for Palestinians
The half-collapsed home of the Halawa family stands in Jabalia, Gaza City
The Halawa family’s building still stands two storeys above the rubble in Gaza City, a rare survivor after two years of nonstop Israeli air attacks that levelled buildings across the besieged Palestinian enclave.
One section has collapsed, with bent metal rods protruding from where a roof once existed. The family built a narrow set of creaking wooden steps to access their home, though these makeshift stairs threaten to give way at any moment. Yet amid the destruction, it remains home.
Sahar Taroush converses with her brother in her partially collapsed home after returning during the recent ceasefire, Jabalia, Gaza City. Her children are also present: Ammar on the far left; Hassan holding his two-year-old sister, Ahlam; and Bisan on the right.
Bisan Taroush watches a movie on a laptop beneath the partially collapsed roof of her home, carrying on with daily life amid the ruins.
