GAZA, (PIC)
The ongoing total siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since early March 2025 has worsened the suffering of all its residents, especially those with chronic illnesses, who are left without healthcare due to the lack of medical equipment, the absence of specialized hospitals, and the severe shortage of medicines as supplies have been depleted.
The closure of crossings throughout the Strip has cast a shadow over every aspect of life, turning it into an unparalleled tragedy. The residents of all Gaza Strip cities (from north to south) experience all forms of death: those who survive direct bombings face other kinds of death from malnutrition and lack of medical care and supplies, particularly those suffering from chronic diseases.
It is worth noting that there are thousands of chronic patients living in displacement shelters and tents without regular medical checkups, putting their lives at serious risk under the ongoing movement restrictions, in addition to diseases caused by environmental pollution resulting from living in such conditions.
The suffering of displacement with illness
One of the displaced citizens, Faiz Abdo, 67, has been unable to take his medications for chronic diabetes and hypertension for about seven months now.
Abdo went through two displacement journeys: from Al-Bureij camp to Al-Nuseirat (central Gaza), and then to Rafah (south). He currently lives in a makeshift room made of tin sheets, sharing it with five families. He complains that the war also deprived him of medications for secondary illnesses caused by his diabetes and hypertension.
Abdo told Anadolu Agency that an Israeli bombing targeted a house adjacent to his own before he was displaced, resulting in a foot injury that rapidly worsened due to his diabetes and lack of treatment. He explained that he used to receive his medications at a clinic in Al-Bureij camp, but now he lives without medicine or food that could help strengthen his immunity.
He continued: “Today, I can’t walk on my foot. Every time I try, I fall to the ground. I have no sense of balance while walking.”
An entire family of chronic patients
Another displaced citizen, Islam Abu Ruqa, said: “I found a small space for myself, my wife, and my son inside a science lab in a school sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza.”
He added: “Our health situation is extremely poor. I have cancer, and my wife suffers from kidney failure.”
Abu Ruqa explained that despite her illness, his wife still cares for him and their son, who had previously donated one of his kidneys to her. The son remains bedridden without medications or painkillers.
A plea to save his life
In an urgent plea, heart patient Mohammed Abed called for saving his life amidst the complete lack of medical care.
Abed, who suffers from valve issues and needs surgery, said: “I need surgery, but the doctors keep postponing it due to the urgent cases created by the war on Gaza, as well as the shortage of medical equipment, most importantly the cardiac catheterization equipment needed for my operation.”
He called for strengthening medical teams with staff and supplies necessary to perform the many surgeries that have been delayed for months. Abed expressed his fear that his condition might worsen due to the delay, affirming that the healthcare system in Gaza is collapsing because of the ongoing war and Israel’s refusal to allow the entry of necessary medications.
Diseases resulting from the war
The ongoing war for over 18 months has led to many people developing chronic illnesses such as stomach diseases, anemia, liver diseases, rheumatism, neurological disorders, spinal cord problems, growth delays, and congenital deformities.
With the health situation deteriorating, there are now over 200,000 patients suffering from chronic diseases without medical follow-up or medication. More than 1,000 kidney patients need regular dialysis, and 11,000 heart patients suffer from high blood pressure, in addition to 3,220 people with various heart conditions.
Thousands more suffer from asthma, lung diseases, and other respiratory illnesses. Over 13,000 diabetic patients need insulin, and 19,780 people are suffering from cancer, including 122 children with leukemia. All these patients are at risk of death after Gaza’s medication stockpiles were exhausted due to the prevention of humanitarian aid and the closure of crossings.
Kidney patients
Kidney failure patient Sabah Yassin said: “We, kidney patients, are dying slowly. Every night, I feel like I am among the dead … We need dialysis three times a week for four hours each time, and that’s the minimum.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Yassin pointed out the suffering caused by food shortages: “Eating canned food is unhealthy for us,” she said. “We walk to the hospital because there are no cars, which causes us tremendous hardship.”
Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director-General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, confirmed that “kidney patients are considered a highly vulnerable group; they must have access to all dialysis medications and must undergo dialysis more than three times a week—some even four times.”
Al-Bursh added: “These resources are not available in Gaza, which leads to a high mortality rate, as we are witnessing now during the war, mass displacement, and the instability of hospitals.” He pointed out that the health situation continues to worsen.
Severe shortages
Dr. Khalil Al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, said that the shortage of medical supplies and medicines has reached dangerous levels, turning the situation in all Gaza hospitals into a catastrophe.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Al-Daqran added that over 60,000 children are at risk of death due to malnutrition, in addition to the lack of vaccines for 650,000 children after the Israeli occupation forces blocked the entry of medical supplies—posing a threat not only to their lives but also to neighboring countries, as diseases like polio could spread if vaccination disruptions continue.
Dr. Ghazi Al-Yazji, head of the Kidney Dialysis Department at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, explained: “Before October 7, 2023, we had about 1,100 dialysis patients in the northern and southern governorates. Now, their number has dropped to 700, meaning that 42% of them have died due to several dialysis units going out of service because of the siege and their complete destruction, as well as patients being trapped in their homes, unable to reach dialysis units.”
Al-Yazji added that the destruction and burning of dialysis machines by the Israeli occupation army forced the reduction of dialysis sessions, leading to severe complications and death.
