GAZA, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
Although the ceasefire agreement entered its 44th day, the health situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate as the Israeli occupation regime persists in ignoring the humanitarian protocol and its obligations under the Sharm esh-Sheikh agreement.
Although there are hundreds of trucks carrying medical supplies at the crossings, the Israeli army continues to block their entry, leaving thousands of patients facing death.
In an interview conducted by the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) on Sunday, Dr. Mohamed Abu Salmiya, director general of Al-Shifa Hospital, talked about the scale of the disaster afflicting the health system, stressing that it is still unable to recover from “the rubble of war,” while the ongoing blockade prevents any attempt to rehabilitate the health sector.
According to Abu Salmiya, the shortage of essential medicines has reached unprecedented levels, with deficits exceeding 60 percent, while medical supplies face a shortfall of around 70 percent. Laboratories are also nearly paralyzed due to the absence of more than 70 percent of the equipment needed to diagnose cases.
He further explained that the health sector in Gaza currently has no MRI scanners and devices for the early detection of breast cancer, and also suffers from a severe lack of ultrasound equipment.
As a result of this medical and health crisis in Gaza, Abu Salmiya said that more than 350,000 patients with chronic health issues are facing extremely harsh conditions, including diabetic and cancer patients.
“The situation does not stop there. Even therapeutic infant formula is still being blocked from entering Gaza by the Israeli occupation, despite the urgent need of many infants for it to save their lives,” he added.
