Gaza: 200,000 patients face death due to crossings closure

The Palestinian Ministry of Health has warned that 200,000 people with chronic illnesses are at life-threatening risk due to the continued closure of crossings by Israeli forces, which threatens the functioning of hospitals across the Strip.

Khalil Al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, described the healthcare situation in the enclave as catastrophic. “The occupation is systematically targeting the health system in Gaza,” he asserted in a press statement on Friday, adding that children are being subjected to severe harm either through direct attacks or by the denial of essential medicines.

Earlier this week, Dr Marwan Al-Hams, director of field hospitals in Gaza, reported a total collapse in medical services across the territory. He stated that hospitals have entirely run out of medicines and medical supplies and that the Israeli forces have blocked the entry of all forms of treatment or healthcare aid for more than 50 days.

According to Al-Hams, the depletion of resources has brought the Palestinian Ministry of Health’s operations to a standstill. “Hospitals can no longer admit the wounded and injured due to the ongoing airstrikes and intense bombardment,” he explained, pointing out that emergency and intensive care units are fully occupied.

As a result, medical teams have been forced to implement triage protocols, choosing to treat only those whose lives can still be saved while leaving others without care. Al-Hams described this as: “One of the most difficult decisions a medical team can be forced to make under occupation.”

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