Israeli-induced medicine shortage deepens Gaza's suffering
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The Gaza Ministry of Health warned earlier this week of "serious health complications for patients" since over 350,000 people in Gaza are suffering from chronic illnesses and do not have medicine.
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Palestinian women sew diapers in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024 (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Israeli occupation has blocked over 51% of humanitarian aid for Gaza for nearly two weeks.
In a Wednesday report, OCHA detailed that "51% of aid missions planned for the north of Wadi Gaza and 25% of those planned for the areas requiring coordination south of Wadi Gaza" were blocked by the Israeli occupation forces between January 1 and February 12.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that aid has continued to be obstructed by Israeli occupation forces for a week, detailing that the IOF is obstructing the inspection of trucks at the Al-Awja crossing.
The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA on Saturday reported that "Israel" blocked a food shipment meant for 1.1 million people in Gaza.
If that is not enough cruelty, Israeli Finance Minister and the leader of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich is preventing a shipment of US-funded flour to Gaza, under the pretext that the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the recipient, Axios reported, citing two Israeli and US officials.
Mohammed Khader, a Palestinian displaced from Jabalia to Rafah told AFP that out of 3 medicines needed for his father he only managed to find one after looking in 5 different pharmacies.
He said his sister has chronic lupus and needs four types of treatment, but only one is available. "Her health is deteriorating quickly. She's in severe pain and we cannot do anything."
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths stated Thursday that over 1 million people, constituting more than half of Gaza's population, are concentrated in Rafah, facing imminent death with severe shortages of food, limited access to medical assistance, and a lack of safe shelter.
The entire Gaza population, including those in Rafah, is enduring an unprecedented assault marked by its intensity, brutality, and extensive reach, as per Griffiths.
A catastrophic period in Rafah
The Gaza Ministry of Health warned earlier this week of "serious health complications for patients" since over 350,000 people in Gaza are suffering from chronic illnesses and do not have medicine.
The ministry warned of a shortage of medicine and supplies in addition to the inability to supply more than 60% of essential primary health medicines.
Mohammed Sahwil, a pharmacist in Rafah, warned that health care in the region is experiencing "a catastrophic period".
He explained that treatments for chronic diseases like heart, pressure, diabetes, and cancer and children's medications are extremely scarce.
"Even alternative medicines that may help in some cases ran out several months ago."
'Dying slowly'
Abdul Hadi Dahir, another pharmacist told AFP that the need for medicine is at a crucial point, particularly with widespread disease due to "overcrowding, poor nutrition and living conditions."
He stated that he encounters many patients with hepatitis symptoms, something the health ministry has warned of with the large number of displaced individuals and cold weather.
Jihan al-Quqa, reported waiting for hours to get a single pill, detailing that her husband has a vein blockage due to not receiving medication.
A Palestinian man, Abdullah al-Hajj, expressed that he could not get painkillers to help him sleep after an amputation.
Mohammed Yaghi, displaced from Gaza City expressed that people were "dying slowly" from the lack of medicine and treatment in the city of Rafah.
'Israel' bombs Nasser Medical Complex killing patient, orders evac
In a recent development, Israeli occupation forces reportedly entered the premises of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, opening fire in its medical departments and urging the injured to evacuate. Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the Gaza Strip highlighted the pressure on injured individuals to evacuate the area.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza also verified that Israeli forces targeted the orthopedic department within the premises of Nasser Medical Complex, resulting in the death of one of the injured and injuries sustained by several patients.
#بالفيديو | لحظة قصف الاحتلال لقسم العظام في #مجمع_ناصر_الطبي في #خان_يونس. #طوفان_الأقصى pic.twitter.com/TvQZVO7QW9
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) February 15, 2024
The Israeli occupation then forced people to evacuate the complex, at gunpoint, knowing there was nowhere for the people sheltering there to go, only to hold them at a checkpoint as they tried to evacuate.
Moreover, the ministry reported an incident of damage to an oxygen tube in the Nasser Complex, leading to oxygen leakage.
The ministry added that the mentioned leakage resulted in a decrease in oxygen pressure in the medical complex, especially in the intensive care unit, endangering patients due to the Israeli targeting of the complex.
