Gaza’s medical system ‘in free fall’ as Israeli restrictions persist despite ceasefire

Only about 30 per cent of basic medical needs are entering the territory

'We are running out of equipment, supplies and fuel,' said one prominent Gaza doctor. 'But we are not running out of patients.' Reuters

Barely functioning hospitals and medical centres across Gaza are once again running out of medicine, equipment and basic medical supplies, pushing the health system closer to collapse.

Medical officials told The National hundreds of essential items are unavailable after months of restrictions on the entry of medical items, leaving emergency rooms and intensive care units critically under-resourced.

Human rights groups and UN agencies say that despite an increase in aid entering Gaza, Israel continues to block the entry of many medical items, citing concerns they could be diverted for “other purposes”. While some organisations were able to bring in equipment that briefly eased the strain on hospitals after the October ceasefire, the situation has since deteriorated.

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Dr Mounir Al Bursh, director general of Gaza’s health authority, said there is zero stock of 321 essential medicines, while more than 710 types of medical supplies are unavailable. Emergency and intensive care services are operating with a 38 per cent deficit, he added, as only about 30 per cent of Gaza’s basic medical needs are entering the strip.

“The health system in Gaza is experiencing an unprecedented collapse,” Dr Al Bursh told The National. "This is the most severe medical crisis Gaza has ever faced", despite the current ceasefire after two years of war in which more than 70,000 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire.

He said the shortages have paralysed core hospital services. Open-heart surgery, cardiac catheterisation and many routine procedures have stopped, while 99 per cent of orthopaedic surgery in recent weeks has been postponed.

Dialysis services are under threat. Gaza has around 650 patients with kidney failure, who require more than 7,800 dialysis sessions each month, but supplies are rapidly running out, placing lives at risk.

Laboratory diagnostics are collapsing as well, with 59 per cent of essential lab tests – including blood chemistry, kidney function, bacterial cultures and blood-type matching – now unavailable.

“It is a system in free fall,” Dr Al Bursh said.

A support team launched an initiative in central Gaza featuring therapy sessions using virtual reality technology. AFP

'Not running out of patients'

The impact is felt daily in Gaza’s remaining hospitals, where operating rooms sit idle and storage shelves that once held life-saving equipment are nearly empty. Doctors say patients are deteriorating not because treatment is impossible, but because the materials needed to deliver it are missing.

For patients such as Mustafa Ismail Al Madhoon, the consequences are immediate and personal.

The 29-year-old from Gaza city has suffered from severe ankle inflammation for months. Although doctors approved surgery two months ago, it was cancelled due to a lack of supplies.

“They told me there are no materials to perform the operation,” he said. “They put me on a waiting list until the [border] crossings open.” His condition has worsened steadily. “A month ago, I could walk 500 metres. Now I can barely manage 200,” he said. “If this continues, I might not [be able to] walk at all.”

Gaza officials say the shortages are the result of deliberate restrictions. Ismail Al Thawabta, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said "what is allowed in are only immediate-use consumables”, such as gauze and stitching kits. “Hundreds of critical items are blocked – advanced surgical tools, orthopaedic equipment, cancer medications, anaesthetics, IV fluids and diagnostic kits.”

As a result, more than 500,000 medical procedures that should have been carried out in recent months remain suspended, he said. “Postponing treatment causes damage far worse than the illness itself,” Mr Al Thawabta warned. “Every delay risks death or permanent disability.”

Entire departments at several hospitals have been forced to stop operating due to shortages of anaesthesia, surgical tools and fuel. Medical officials warn that without urgent access to supplies, full shutdowns are expected.

“We are running out of equipment, supplies and fuel,” Dr Al Bursh said. “But we are not running out of patients.”