AhlulBayt News Agency: The Gaza Center for Human Rights has warned of a severe and rapidly worsening collapse of Gaza’s health system, saying conditions have reached catastrophic levels that endanger the right to life and health of more than two million people after over two years of genocide.
In a statement issued Saturday, the center said the situation can no longer be described as a temporary health crisis but is instead the direct result of systematic Israeli policies that have dismantled the medical sector.
It noted that the few hospitals still functioning have effectively become “forced waiting stations” for thousands of patients and wounded civilians facing an uncertain fate, as described by Gaza’s health authorities.
Based on field monitoring and Ministry of Health data, the center documented more than 2.14 million cases of infectious diseases—including acute respiratory infections, skin diseases, and viral hepatitis—in conditions lacking basic diagnostic and treatment tools.
The statement also reported 21 deaths among displaced Palestinians due to cold exposure and lack of medical care, calling this a stark indicator of the collapse of emergency health response systems.
According to the center, around 70 percent of medical laboratories in Gaza have ceased operations.
Shortages of medicines and medical supplies have reached unprecedented levels, with 46 percent of essential medicines and 66 percent of medical consumables completely depleted.
Additionally, 84 percent of laboratory materials and blood bank supplies have run out.
The center warned that oncology services, blood disease treatment, surgery, intensive care, and primary health care are among the most severely affected sectors.
It added that the limited quantities of medicines entering Gaza fall far short of meeting even the minimum requirements to sustain health services.
In testimony documented by the center, Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director of al‑Shifa Medical Complex, warned that Gaza is facing a full‑scale epidemic, with a highly contagious respiratory virus causing severe symptoms such as high fever and acute pneumonia.
He said the lack of laboratory testing equipment prevents medical teams from identifying viral strains or applying proper treatment protocols, leaving already weakened patients vulnerable to fatal complications.
The center stressed that continued restrictions on the entry of medicines, medical supplies, and fuel constitute a grave violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions.
It warned that nearly 20,000 patients and wounded civilians remain unable to travel for treatment, putting their lives at serious risk.
The center called on the international community to exert immediate pressure to ensure unrestricted and sustained entry of medical supplies and fuel, urging the World Health Organization to deploy specialized medical missions and mobile laboratories, and appealing for safe corridors for urgent medical evacuations.
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