Gaza Civil Defense warns of dire shortages amid rising death toll
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Gaza’s Health Ministry has reported 19 martyrs and 81 injuries in 24 hours, as "Israel's" aggression pushes the death toll past 52,800.
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Mohannad al-Agha holds the body of his niece Zeina al-Agha, 2, killed in an overnight Israeli airstrike, during her funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Sunday, May 11, 2025 (AP)
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has announced that 19 Palestinians were killed and 81 others were injured in 24 hours as a result of ongoing Israeli aggression across the Gaza Strip. Hospitals continue to receive casualties, while many victims remain trapped under rubble or in the streets, unreachable due to the intensity of bombardment and widespread destruction.
Since the beginning of the Israeli genocide on October 7, 2023, the cumulative death toll has reached 52,829 martyrs, with 119,554 people wounded. From March 18, 2025, alone, 2,720 Palestinians have been killed and 7,513 have been injured, reflecting the continued escalation despite growing international condemnation.
Amid the worsening humanitarian crisis, the Gaza Civil Defense Directorate has issued a distress call, citing severe shortages in basic operational materials.
“We are suffering from a major shortage of oil, rubber tires, and batteries needed for our vehicles,” the Civil Defense stated.
Civil defense pleads for aid to resume rescue ops.
The Directorate has appealed to the International Civil Defense Organization and humanitarian agencies for immediate intervention to supply the necessary equipment and allow rescue operations to resume in devastated areas.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza, artillery and airstrikes continued across various regions of the Strip over the past day:
- Northern Gaza: An Israeli artillery strike in Izbat Abed Rabbo, east of Jabalia camp, killed one civilian and critically wounded another.
- Central Gaza: A young man succumbed to wounds sustained in a prior airstrike on Deir al-Balah, while another was martyred in a strike on a house in the al-Hakar area. Additionally, the body of a martyr was recovered east of the al-Bureij camp, following a previous airstrike.
- Southern Gaza: A child was martyred and several others were injured in an Israeli strike near Tayba Towers. Another martyr was reported in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, after a strike targeted a motorcycle.
As bombardment continues across the besieged territory, ambulance and civil defense crews face increasing difficulty in reaching affected areas, severely hindering the ability to rescue or recover victims. The health system, already on the brink of collapse, remains overwhelmed by the mounting toll.
1,500 blinded, 4,000 others at risk as Gaza eye care system crumbles
Earlier today, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed a sharp increase in blindness cases amid the ongoing Israeli genocide, warning that the territory’s sole eye care hospital is on the brink of total surgical paralysis due to severe shortages of medical supplies.
According to the Ministry, approximately 1,500 Palestinians have lost their sight since the beginning of the war, and another 4,000 are at risk of blindness, primarily due to a critical lack of medicines and surgical equipment.
Dr. Abdelsalam Sabah, Director of the Eye Hospital in Gaza, described the situation as “an almost total collapse” of surgical capacity. He noted that procedures for conditions such as retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and internal bleeding have come to a near standstill.
"The health sector is facing a critical shortage of consumables and medical equipment necessary for eye surgeries, which is leading to an almost total collapse of surgical services," said Dr. Sabah.
Entire system failing
Gaza’s health infrastructure has been devastated by months of ongoing aggression, with the eye care sector emerging as one of the hardest-hit areas due to its specialized nature and dependence on delicate, high-precision equipment that is no longer available or able to be sterilized and reused safely.
The Ministry of Health has renewed its call on humanitarian agencies and global health institutions to act swiftly in delivering medical aid to prevent further irreversible blindness among Gaza’s besieged population.
