Gaza health authorities warn of critical medicine shortages amid ongoing blockade

Gaza’s Ministry of Health has issued an urgent appeal for medicines, medical consumables and laboratory supplies, warning that severe shortages are undermining healthcare services after more than two years of war and a prolonged Israeli blockade.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said dwindling stocks were making it increasingly difficult to provide even basic diagnostic and treatment services across the Palestinian enclave. Al Jazeera reported that doctors have repeatedly warned that hospitals are struggling to save lives as essential medical supplies are not entering Gaza in sufficient quantities.

The ministry said that 321 items on the essential medicines list were now completely out of stock, amounting to a shortage of 52 per cent. Shortages were even more acute for medical consumables, with 710 items unavailable, representing a 71 per cent deficit. Laboratory tests and blood bank supplies face a shortage rate of 59 per cent.

According to health officials, the most critical gaps are in emergency departments, particularly life-saving intravenous fluids, antibiotics and painkillers. The shortages, they said, risk depriving around 200,000 patients of emergency care, 100,000 of surgical services and about 700 of access to intensive care. Supplies for kidney treatment, cancer care, open-heart surgery and orthopaedics are also severely affected.

The ministry warned that the situation has been exacerbated by restrictions on aid deliveries, saying fewer than 30 per cent of the monthly requirement of medical trucks are being allowed into Gaza. It called on all relevant parties to urgently implement emergency interventions to prevent a further collapse of the health system.

Despite a United States-backed ceasefire that came into force on October 10, Gaza’s health authorities say Israel has failed to permit the agreed volume of medical aid, deepening what they describe as an ongoing health emergency. Nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities have been damaged during Israel’s war, with at least 125 health facilities hit, including 34 hospitals.

The shortages have also affected patients requiring treatment abroad. Health officials say around 1,500 children are currently waiting for border crossings to reopen so they can travel for specialised care. Zaher Al Waheidi, head of the information unit at Gaza’s Health Ministry, said that 1,200 patients, including 155 children, have died after being unable to leave Gaza for treatment.

On Sunday, six Palestinian detainees released from Israeli custody were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah for medical treatment, according to medical sources. They were brought via the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has said it has not been granted access to Palestinians held in Israeli detention since October 2023. Rights groups allege many detainees have been held without clear legal process and subjected to abuse.

While around 1,700 detainees were released in October under the ceasefire deal, rights organisations estimate that more than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, remain in Israeli prisons, where allegations of mistreatment, starvation and medical neglect persist.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defence said five people, including a child and two women, were rescued after being trapped under the collapsed roof of a house in Sheikh Radwan, north-west of Gaza City. Four people were killed in the incident, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security.

Officials said at least 18 people have died in building collapses across Gaza since the ceasefire began, with 46 structures giving way amid widespread destruction. Since October 2023, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 171,000 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to health authorities in the enclave.