Patients suffer as Gaza hospitals faces severe shortage of life-saving medicines
Hospitals in Gaza report 54 per cent of essential medicines and 40 per cent of surgery drugs are unavailable, as Israel allows only five medical supply trucks weekly, leaving patients without vital treatment.
Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to function as essential medical supplies remain blocked, even after nearly two months of a ceasefire, with health officials warning that the shortage is pushing the territory’s healthcare system to the brink.
According to health officials, while consumer goods such as sweets, mobile phones, and electric bicycles are entering the enclave, life-saving medications and surgical materials remain largely restricted.
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“We are facing a situation in which 54 per cent of essential medicines are unavailable, and 40 per cent of the drugs for surgeries and emergency care – the very medications we rely on to treat the wounded – are missing,” Dr Munir al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, told Al Jazeera.
The ministry says Israel allows only five trucks carrying medical supplies into Gaza each week—three going to international organisations such as the United Nations (UN), and just two reaching government hospitals.
Officials maintain that this falls far short of what the ceasefire agreement requires, leaving many patients without care. Patients with chronic illnesses are among the most vulnerable.
“I need colostomy bases and bags so I can attach them to the stomach and the device to be able to pass stools. They are not available, nor are the bases, and we end up soiling ourselves. The situation is extremely difficult. There’s also no gauze, cold packs, adhesive tape, gloves or disinfectant solution – nothing,” Naif Musbah, who suffers from colon cancer, told Al Jazeera.
Medical staff have been forced to improvise with limited resources, while families search desperately for basic supplies to help their loved ones.
Gaza’s healthcare system has already been battered by years of conflict. Over the past two years, at least 125 health facilities, including 34 hospitals, have been damaged, and more than 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed.
The ceasefire, declared in early October, was intended to ease hostilities, allow humanitarian aid, and restore essential services such as healthcare.
In the immediate aftermath, some food and emergency aid reached Gaza, and a handful of medical evacuations were carried out. However, the truce has not ensured consistent access to medical supplies.
Violations have continued, and only limited aid has reached government hospitals, leaving the health system struggling to operate.
Health authorities warn that unless access to essential medicines improves, hospitals could soon be unable to provide even basic care, putting thousands more lives at risk.
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