Gaza is suffocating under siege… patients are trapped and facing systematic starvation.

The catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues under the ongoing Zionist siege and the continued violations of the ceasefire agreement, amid escalating warnings that the Strip is entering a more dangerous phase with the worsening starvation policy, the decline in the flow of humanitarian aid, and the continued targeting of civilians and displaced persons, in parallel with a widespread collapse of the health sector and basic services.

While thousands of patients and wounded people await the opportunity to travel for treatment outside the Gaza Strip, the circle of human suffering is widening due to the severe restrictions on crossings and the prevention of the entry of basic necessities, which exacerbates the health and living conditions of two million Palestinians living in unprecedented circumstances.

Patients behind the crossings
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed that thousands of patients and wounded people are still waiting for permission to leave the Gaza Strip to complete their treatment abroad, due to the continued Zionist restrictions on travel through the Rafah crossing.

The ministry explained that only 28 patients and 49 companions were able to leave the sector on Thursday morning to receive treatment, while the medical referrals committee continues to follow up on the files of thousands of stranded humanitarian cases, amid warnings of the deteriorating conditions of many patients as a result of the lack of medical capabilities within the sector.

The health sector is suffering from a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies, in addition to the destruction of large parts of hospitals and health centers as a result of the ongoing aggression, which has left thousands of wounded and sick people facing the risk of slow death under siege and prevention of treatment.

worsening crisis
In parallel with the health crisis, government agencies and civil society organizations in Gaza warned of the escalation of what they described as the “starvation engineering” policy pursued by the Israeli enemy through reducing the entry of humanitarian and relief aid into the sector.

Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabta confirmed that the aid entering Gaza covers only a limited part of the humanitarian needs, noting that the percentage of aid allowed to enter since the ceasefire did not exceed 37 percent of the actual need.

He explained that the enemy authorities are using food and medicine as tools of pressure and siege against the population, in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, while relief organizations are suffering from increasing difficulties due to restrictions on the entry of basic materials and fuel.

For his part, Taysir Muhaysin, head of the Civil Society Organizations Alliance in Gaza, confirmed that reducing the entry of aid represents “a practical translation of starvation engineering,” noting that the number of daily meals provided to the population has declined sharply, with reduced support for bakeries and a decrease in the availability of bread and basic foodstuffs.

He pointed out that the Zionist enemy continues to control the movement of trade and imports, and restricts the work of international and relief organizations, which has exacerbated the food security crisis and increased rates of poverty and malnutrition within the sector.

Health collapse
As displaced people continue to crowd into camps and shelters, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned of an increasing spread of rodents, parasites, and skin diseases within the Gaza Strip.

The agency explained that more than 125,000 cases of skin diseases and infections were recorded during the past months, as a result of the deterioration of environmental and health conditions, the lack of clean water, and the accumulation of waste, in light of a severe shortage of medicines and medical supplies. The power outage and the prevention of fuel entry also caused the disruption of cooling and food preservation systems, which led to an increase in food spoilage rates and the spread of diseases related to malnutrition, especially among children and the elderly.

Ongoing violations
On the ground, the Israeli enemy continues to violate the ceasefire agreement by targeting civilians and displacement areas throughout the Gaza Strip.

In the past few hours, a number of Palestinians were killed and wounded as a result of shelling that targeted tents of displaced people in the Khan Younis area, in addition to drone strikes in the northern Gaza Strip, and the demolition and destruction of homes and residential facilities in various areas.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health also announced that the toll of t