Gaza Under Siege: Rapidly Deteriorating Health Conditions
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is rapidly worsening due to the ongoing siege and restrictions on the entry of essential supplies. This directly impacts the health and living conditions, exacerbating the suffering of the population in various aspects.
While indicators of the deteriorating humanitarian situation are numerous, medical and human rights reports, coupled with ongoing violations in Jerusalem, the plight of prisoners, and the targeting of medical personnel, paint a comprehensive picture of a growing crisis in the Palestinian territories.
Deteriorating Health Conditions
The health situation in the Gaza Strip is deteriorating rapidly due to the continued siege and shortages of medical supplies. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of a worsening crisis and a decline in the ability to provide healthcare, at a time when direct injuries and the spread of diseases linked to poor living conditions are on the rise.
The organization stated that approximately 60% of the cases received by its facilities during the past six months were direct injuries, a dangerous indicator reflecting the scale of the escalating humanitarian crisis. MSF emphasized that the health situation in the Strip is “suffocating” despite talk of a ceasefire.
She also pointed out that the shortage of essential medicines, especially those for chronic diseases such as insulin, along with the scarcity of surgical supplies and sterilization materials, is hindering the work of medical teams and threatening patients’ lives.
Al-Aqsa: Incursions and Restrictions
In occupied Jerusalem, tens of thousands of Palestinians performed Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque despite the strict restrictions imposed by the occupation forces, which included identity checks and preventing the mosque’s preacher, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, from entering.
The Supreme Islamic Council in Jerusalem condemned these measures, describing them as “police thuggery,” and affirmed that the occupation has no legitimacy over the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that what is happening is part of a systematic policy of Judaizing the holy city.
Prisoners: Worsening Suffering
The Prisoners’ Media Office confirmed that more than 9,600 Palestinian prisoners are living in harsh conditions inside the occupation’s prisons, including torture, medical neglect, solitary confinement, and denial of family visits, as part of a policy of “slow killing.”
He pointed to the presence of hundreds of children and women among the prisoners, in addition to thousands of administrative detainees and Gaza detainees held in secret prisons, amid escalating fears of the passage of dangerous legislation, including a law to execute prisoners.
Direct Targeting
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that 83 medical personnel are being held in Israeli prisons, deprived of their basic rights, in clear violation of international law.
The Ministry emphasized that the continued detention of healthcare workers exacerbates the crisis within hospitals and constitutes a direct attack on the already strained medical system.
Hospitals on the Verge of Collapse
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that thousands of patients in Gaza are suffering due to a severe shortage of medical supplies, stressing that hospitals are on the verge of collapse.
It indicated that the continued restrictions on the entry of medical supplies threaten the lives of patients, at a time when the number of wounded and injured is increasing as a result of the ongoing aggression and siege.
Calls for International Intervention
Hamas called on the international community to take urgent action to protect Palestinian prisoners and stop the violations against them, warning of the dangers of the continued policy of executions and enforced disappearances.
She emphasized that the treatment of prisoners constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, calling for international action to visit prisons and pressure the enemy to release detainees.
In summary, the crises in Gaza are intertwined, ranging from a rapidly deteriorating health system and escalating violations against prisoners to restrictions on freedoms in Jerusalem. This reflects a highly complex humanitarian situation, exacerbated by the ongoing siege, the decline in basic services, and the absence of any fundamental solutions to date.