The Director of the al-Shifa Hospital explained that due to shortages of medical supplies, Palestinians are dying from treatable injuries. He said Israel has allowed less than ten percent of the necessary health care materials into the Strip over the past two years.
Speaking with Al-Jazeera, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya warned that there was a catastrophic shortage of medical supplies. He said the scarcity led to patients dying of treatable injuries following Israeli strikes earlier this week. On Tuesday, Israel killed over 100 Palestinians, including 46 children.
“The escalation only exacerbated the already dire and collapsing health system in the complete absence of everything,” Abu Salmiya said. “It was a massacre. The wounded were dying right before our eyes and we are powerless to provide them with medical attention.”
Abu Salmiya argued the US-backed Israeli siege of Gaza caused the shortage. He explained that less than ten percent of the necessary medical supplies have entered the Strip. Throughout the war, Palestinian doctors and international aid agencies have reported doctors lacking basic medical supplies such as gauze and anesthesia. The shortages have led to children receiving amputations without anesthesia.
Along with people dying from war injuries, Dr. Abu Salmiya said there was an increasing risk to the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israel agreed to allow 600 aid trucks into Gaza each day. Eleven days into the truce, the Gaza Media Office reported just 15% of the agreed-upon number of trucks had reached Gaza. According to UN data, the daily number of trucks from aid groups has never surpassed 200 during the ceasefire.
Abu Salmiya noted the war had been particularly deadly for infants. He said newborn mortality now exceeds 40% in Gaza.
