Gaza Health: Patients and wounded face certain death

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said today that operating rooms, intensive care units, and emergency rooms in hospitals are experiencing catastrophic conditions amid the sharp increase in the number of critical injuries, indicating that the health system is on the brink of complete collapse.

In a press statement received by Quds Press on Tuesday, the ministry explained that the severe shortage of life-saving medicines and medical supplies, in addition to the malfunctioning of diagnostic imaging equipment, is preventing urgent surgical interventions to save the injured.

The statement added that medical teams are working under extremely difficult conditions and for long hours, in continuous attempts to treat the wounded and save their lives, amid increasing pressure on emergency and intensive care units.

The statement indicated that blood donation campaigns are no longer sufficient, given the general deterioration of the nutritional situation among citizens, which has weakened the ability of many to donate.

The ministry also warned that the electric generators used to operate vital departments in hospitals are operating on very limited fuel reserves, which threatens to stop at any moment.

In a related context, the Ministry confirmed that the Israeli occupation is deliberately undermining the health system by forcing residents to evacuate areas where hospitals and healthcare centers are located. It noted that the recent evacuations in Khan Yunis Governorate pose a direct threat to putting the Nasser Medical Complex out of service. The Ministry explained that the Nasser Complex, the only hospital in the southern Gaza Strip that provides specialized medical services, is at risk of shutting down, exposing the lives of dozens of patients and wounded in intensive care, operating room, emergency room, and nursery departments to “certain death” should it cease operations.