Al-Barsh: The occupation prevents medicine and floods the market with useless goods amid worsening malnutrition

The Director General of the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Munir al-Barsh, stated that the Israeli occupation allows the entry of useless goods into the Strip, flooding the markets with them, while simultaneously preventing the entry of medicine and essential food.

In press statements he made today, Wednesday, al-Barsh explained that the occupation continues to prevent the entry of medicines into the Gaza Strip, despite the spread of a severe influenza and unprecedented variants. He indicated that the occupation is pursuing a policy of slow killing against the residents of the Strip, “not only with bombs, but also with cold-blooded insidious tactics.”

The Director General of the Ministry of Health explained that hospitals are now overflowing with entire families of patients, amidst a continuous and dangerous decline in drug supplies, which limits the ability of medical staff to provide necessary care.

Al-Barsh pointed to the worsening malnutrition and rising rates of anemia among mothers and children, in addition to an increase in premature births, considering what is happening to be a systematic policy targeting life itself in the Gaza Strip. In this context, the United Nations announced last Monday that the number of acute malnutrition cases in the Gaza Strip had risen to approximately 95,000, emphasizing that the humanitarian situation remains dire due to the harsh weather conditions.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) had previously warned in November 2025 that the continued malnutrition with the onset of winter threatened the lives and health of children in the Gaza Strip, noting that approximately 9,300 children were suffering from malnutrition.