Gaza: The Gaza Center for Human Rights expressed its deep concern on Saturday regarding the serious and rapidly deteriorating health situation in the Gaza Strip, which has reached catastrophic levels, threatening the right to life and health of more than two million people.
According to Yemen News Agency, this comes amidst continued restrictions on the medical system and the targeting of its essential infrastructure, more than two years after the genocidal war. In a statement, the center said that what the Gaza Strip is witnessing is no longer a passing health crisis, but rather a direct result of systematic Israeli policies that have led to the dismantling of the health system and the transformation of the remaining functioning hospitals into forced waiting rooms for thousands of patients and wounded individuals facing an uncertain fate, according to the Ministry of Health.
Based on its field monitoring and data from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the center documented more than 2,142,000 cases of infectious diseases, including acute respiratory infections, skin diseases, and hepatitis, in an environment lacking even the most basic diagnostic and treatment tools. Twenty-one deaths were recorded among displaced people due to the drop in temperatures and the lack of necessary medical care, a dangerous indicator of the complete collapse of the emergency health response system.
The report noted that approximately 70 percent of medical laboratories have ceased operations, while shortages of essential medicines and medical supplies have reached unprecedented levels. The Ministry of Health confirmed that 46 percent of essential medicines and 66 percent of medical supplies are completely out of stock, in addition to 84 percent of laboratory materials and blood bank supplies being depleted.
The human rights center highlighted the Ministry of Health’s announcement that cancer, hematology, surgery, operations, intensive care, and primary care services are among the most affected. The center also stated that the limited quantities of medicines reaching hospitals in the sector are insufficient to meet even the minimum needs for continued healthcare provision. The center emphasized that this situation has transformed the continuation of healthcare provision into a daily miracle, with no real prospect of recovery or the restoration of specialized services.