Gaza Herald- Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirmed that thalassemia patients are facing extremely dangerous health conditions amid the collapse of the healthcare system and the ongoing impact of the Israeli offensive, coinciding with World Thalassemia Day.
In a statement issued Saturday, the ministry said patients are enduring compounded suffering that has turned their treatment journey into a daily struggle for survival due to shortages of specialized medications, a lack of laboratory testing supplies, and a severe crisis in the availability of blood units needed for treatment.
The ministry reported that 50 out of 334 thalassemia patients have died during the war, while 47 others have left the Gaza Strip, reflecting the worsening collapse of treatment access and continuity.
According to the statement, 237 patients currently remain in Gaza, including 52 children under the age of 12 and 185 patients older than 12, highlighting the ongoing health burden across different age groups.
The Health Ministry added that the destruction of laboratory infrastructure and the absence of testing equipment have prevented preventive, diagnostic, and treatment-related examinations from being carried out, raising fears of undetected new cases and undermining years of accumulated efforts aimed at preventing the disease.
The ministry called on international health organizations to intensify urgent interventions and prioritize saving thalassemia patients in Gaza amid what it described as catastrophic conditions threatening their lives and weakening efforts to limit the future spread of the disease.
