DaysofPal — The Palestinian Ministry of Health warned on Wednesday of a catastrophic collapse in Gaza’s medical system as Israeli attacks continue to cripple hospitals and block the entry of lifesaving supplies.
“Wounds are rotting, and we’re forced to amputate,” said Dr. Khalil Al-Dakran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. “There are no antibiotics. There are no tools for bone repair. We’re watching patients’ conditions worsen into death from otherwise treatable injuries.”
According to the Health Ministry, 85% of healthcare services in Gaza are now paralyzed due to Israeli bombardment and an intensified blockade that began in early March. Only 22 hospitals remain partially functioning, while 14 have been completely shut down.
“No hospital in Gaza is working at full capacity,” said Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, director of field hospitals in Gaza. “After the strike on the European Hospital yesterday — the only cancer and oncology center in the south — it’s clear the goal is full destruction of our health system.”
The lack of essential medications, fuel, and medical equipment is driving a wave of preventable amputations. Dr. Al-Dakran revealed that more than 5,000 people — including 3,000 children — have lost limbs during the war, many due to untreated infections and sepsis caused by shrapnel and burn wounds.
“These were not fatal injuries,” he said. “But because we don’t have antibiotics or bone fixation tools, patients ended up losing limbs — or dying.”
He also accused Israeli forces of using internationally banned weapons that are causing an unusually high number of traumatic injuries to the head, chest, and limbs.
Al-Dakran appealed to the international community to pressure Israel into allowing urgent medical supplies into Gaza and to evacuate critical cases abroad for surgery and prosthetics.
“The wounded need crutches, wheelchairs, and artificial limbs,” he said. “But the Israeli blockade even prevents those.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Al-Hams warned that Gaza’s remaining facilities are running on fumes. “Hospitals are out of medicine. They’re out of fuel. They’re operating in name only,” he said.
Even UNRWA’s 85 primary care centers have been mostly shut down, leaving a population of over two million with virtually no access to healthcare.
“These are not isolated attacks,” said Al-Hams. “They are part of a systematic campaign to destroy Gaza’s health infrastructure and cause the slow death of its people.”
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