GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Palestinian Ministry of Health has warned that laboratories and blood banks in the Gaza Strip are suffering from a severe shortage of blood units and their components.
In a statement on Monday, the Ministry said that the urgent need for blood units is increasing as the number of critical injuries rises, noting that the amount of blood available is far less than the monthly consumption and that meeting the demand exceeds the capacity of the blood banks.
It announced that in the past month alone, 10,000 units of blood and its components were consumed, while only 3,500 units were made available.
The Ministry confirmed that public calls for blood donation have become ineffective due to worsening malnutrition and increasing cases of anemia.
It called for reinforcing the stockpiles of blood banks and units to enable life-saving emergency interventions for the wounded.
As a result of the genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip for the past 21 months, dozens of martyrs and hundreds of injuries are recorded daily, which is draining every aspect of the healthcare system.
Meanwhile, the World Food Program (WFP) said that most families in the Gaza Strip barely manage to eat one meal a day.
In press remarks on Sunday, WFP added, “The fear of famine and the desperate need for food remain extremely high in Gaza.”
The agency explained that food security in Gaza, along with all food systems, is on the verge of collapse, adding, “One family in Gaza told us that extreme heat and food shortages have caused some people to lose consciousness.”
WFP also noted that many people are risking their lives just to obtain one kilogram of flour.
Since March 2, the Israeli occupation has closed the border crossings into Gaza, preventing the entry of food, humanitarian aid, medical supplies, goods, and fuel, leading to a drastic deterioration in humanitarian conditions.
With US support, the Israeli occupation army has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 189,000 people dead or wounded—most of them children and women—along with over 11,000 missing.
