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Gaza Health Ministry says northern hospitals in dire need of equipment

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
3 Feb 2025 23:38
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The director general of Gaza's health ministry stresses the lack of essential supplies to operate hospitals in the region's north.

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A wounded youth is brought to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israeli army airstrikes targeted the Nuseirat and Maghazi camps in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Thursday, January 2, 2025 (AP)

The Director-General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Munir al-Barsh, stated on Monday that essential supplies needed to operate hospitals—such as fuel and oxygen stations—have not reached northern Gaza.

Al-Barsh added that around 40% of kidney failure patients have died due to a lack of dialysis machines, emphasizing the urgent need for field hospitals as many medical centers in the north have ceased operations.

Earlier on Monday, Gaza’s Government Media Office accused the Israeli occupation of deliberately delaying the implementation of the humanitarian protocol and evading its commitments.

The office noted that the Israeli occupation was expected to allow the entry of 60,000 caravans, 200,000 tents, and 600 aid trucks daily into the besieged enclave. It held Israel and the US administration responsible for the severe humanitarian consequences of failing to meet these obligations.

The office urged international guarantors to take action and pressure Israel to comply with the humanitarian protocol to prevent further deterioration of the crisis in Gaza.

Life expectancy in Gaza cut nearly in half

A new study published in The Lancet reveals a drastic decline in life expectancy in Gaza between October 2023 and September 2024 due to the ongoing war. The research attributes this sharp drop to the devastating humanitarian crisis and unprecedented loss of life caused by "Israel's" genocidal war.

According to the findings, life expectancy in Gaza has fallen by an average of 34.9 years in the first year of the war, with men experiencing a steeper decline than women. The study indicates that this reduction amounts to nearly half of pre-war levels and signals a humanitarian disaster on an unprecedented scale.

Life Expectancy Plummets for Men and Women

The researchers compared official mortality data from Gaza's Ministry of Health with records from UNRWA's refugee registry, analyzing changes in death rates relative to the 2017 Palestinian census. Their findings confirm previous reports from Gaza's health authorities, reinforcing concerns over the war's long-term demographic impact.

Before the war, the average life expectancy for men in Gaza was 73.6 years. As of September 2024, it has dropped to just 35.6 years—a 51.6% decline.

For women, life expectancy fell from 77.5 years to 47.5 years, marking a 38.6% decline.

The study's findings expose the war's toll on Gaza's population. The scale of the losses and destruction has erased decades of progress in public health and life expectancy, pushing the region into an irreversible humanitarian crisis.