Gaza Herald – Gaza’s Health Ministry warned that nearly half of all essential medicines had run out, as Israel’s ongoing blockade continued to choke the enclave’s collapsing healthcare system. Officials said hospitals that were still functioning had effectively been reduced to overcrowded waiting rooms, unable to provide meaningful treatment to thousands of patients and wounded civilians.
In a statement published on Telegram, the ministry said 46 percent of essential medicines were out of stock, alongside 66 percent of basic medical supplies and 84 percent of laboratory and blood bank materials. The shortages, it said, had pushed the health sector to the brink of total paralysis.
The ministry described the situation as a form of “health annihilation,” noting that the delivery of healthcare had become a daily struggle rather than a functioning system. Recovery efforts and the restoration of specialized services were described as nearly impossible under current conditions.
Critical departments were among the hardest hit, including cancer and hematology units, surgery and operating theatres, intensive care, and primary healthcare services. Many patients were reportedly being left without treatment options as supplies continued to dwindle.
The Health Ministry urged all relevant international actors to intervene immediately, lift restrictions on medical imports, and urgently replenish medicine stocks, warning that continued inaction would result in preventable deaths on a massive scale.
