DayofPal– The hum of dialysis machines, a lifeline for hundreds of kidney patients, in the heart of Gaza’s largest Al-Shifa hospital, fell down on Wednesday as water supplies to the unit ran dry.
Dr. Ghazi Al-Yazji, head of the nephrology and kidney transplant department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, described the situation as a “humanitarian catastrophe in the making.”
With no water to operate the dialysis machines, kidney patients, already battling for survival in a war-torn land, are left in peril.
The nephrology unit at Al-Shifa hospital, the only one serving Gaza City and northern Gaza, has been crippled by severe water shortages after Netanyahu threatened more severe punishment to the Gaza enclave following the block of humanitairian aid.
“The lack of water has completely halted dialysis sessions,” Dr. Al-Yazji said, adding that “We urgently need a dedicated water desalination unit for the department, along with a stable fuel supply to keep our generators running.”
At Al-Shifa Hospital, 280 patients rely on dialysis to stay alive, yet medical resources are dwindling. The crisis has already forced the hospital to cut treatment sessions from three to two per week, with each session lasting just three hours instead of the recommended four.
“This is far below international medical protocols,” Dr. Al-Yazji explained. “It puts our patients at serious risk of complications, and for some, even death.”
The dialysis crisis is just one symptom of a much larger disaster unfolding across Gaza’s healthcare system. For the fifth consecutive day, Israeli authorities have kept border crossings closed, choking off vital fuel supplies needed to power hospitals and desalination plants.
Without fuel, water stations shut down, leaving hospitals without the clean water needed for basic medical procedures. Without electricity, dialysis machines stop working. Without medicine, patients are left to suffer.
Gaza’s dialysis patients were already suffering long before this latest crisis. During the war, Israeli forces deliberately targeted hospitals in northern Gaza, knocking dialysis centers out of operation. Dozens of patients died as a result.
Now, the only remaining dialysis unit in Al-Shifa Medical Complex is overwhelmed, struggling under immense pressure to care for patients from across the north.
Dr. Al-Yazji is urging immediate intervention from humanitarian organizations, the United Nations, and the international community.
“We are facing a medical emergency,” he warned. “Without water, fuel, and medical supplies, we cannot save these lives.”
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