Gaza Herald — Even after months of ceasefire talks and promises of humanitarian relief, Gaza remains cut off from lifesaving medical aid. The war may have slowed, but for Gaza’s wounded, sick, and starving, survival grows harder each day under Israel’s ongoing blockade.
Dr. Ahmed Mokhallati, a renowned plastic surgeon and former head of the Department of Plastic Surgery at al-Shifa Hospital, described the situation as “catastrophic beyond measure.” Speaking to reporters, he warned that Gaza’s health needs are overwhelming, and yet Israel continues to deny entry to most doctors seeking to help.
“I think this time is very critical,” Dr. Mokhallati said. “In the middle of the noise of the ceasefire, people don’t notice that nothing has changed on the ground. We still have famine. There is no electricity, no water, no petrol, no food supplies, no medicines. And despite all of this, Israel is still controlling the borders, with very minimal access to everything in Gaza.”
He added that the Israeli-imposed restrictions have left Gaza’s hospitals without essential specialists, anesthetics, and critical equipment. “Despite the ceasefire, Israel has denied permission for most doctors who asked to enter Gaza to treat the sick and wounded,” he explained. “So, what’s happening is a continuation of the ethnic cleansing. What’s happening is a continuation of this genocide on the ground.”
According to Mokhallati, thousands of patients with chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and congenital heart disease have gone untreated for over two years. Many have died waiting for care. “We are now faced with thousands of sick people who need immediate intervention and treatment in all aspects,” he said. “Adding to this, more than 15,000 to 20,000 patients are awaiting evacuation out of Gaza, where the collapsed systems are unable to provide them with the services they need.”
The surgeon emphasized that Gaza’s health crisis is not just the result of war damage but of a deliberate policy of deprivation. With borders sealed and humanitarian missions blocked, even medical miracles are impossible to achieve.
A Humanitarian Emergency Under Siege
Israel’s blockade has turned Gaza’s health system into a zone of death rather than healing. International medical delegations remain stranded outside the Strip, awaiting permits that rarely come. Meanwhile, Gaza’s doctors, exhausted, unpaid, and short of everything, continue to operate in makeshift clinics amid famine and darkness.
As the ceasefire continues to mask the ongoing humanitarian collapse, Gaza’s medical workers warn that every day of delay means more lives lost. In a territory where hospitals have been reduced to rubble and aid is filtered through military control, even the act of healing has become an act of resistance.
