Gaza hospital chief says patients dying due to shortage of supplies, specialists

The number of Palestinians dying is rising due to a shortage of medical supplies and specialised doctors, said the Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, amid the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The situation in northern Gaza is catastrophic. The blockade persists, and every day more injured individuals are lost because of limited resources and the absence of specialised surgical teams,” Hossam Abu Safiya, said in a video released by Gaza’s Health Ministry.

“The blockade on northern Gaza is lethal, blocking water, food, medicine and medical aid,” he added.

“The hospital is providing care with minimal resources, as Israeli forces have detained specialised medical staff and critical health supplies are scarce,” he continued.

On 26 October, Israeli forces withdrew from Kamal Adwan Hospital after a 24-hour incursion, leaving behind extensive destruction and Palestinian casualties within and outside the facility.

Abu Safiya appealed to global governments and human rights organisations to “support Gaza’s health care system by facilitating the entry of medical delegations and supplies to sustain services amid the ongoing violence.”

The army has launched a deadly offensive in the northern Gaza Strip since last month to allegedly prevent Palestinian Resistance group, Hamas, from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

More than 1,800 people have been killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities. Food and other aid are severely limited.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack on 7 October, 2023, killing more than 43,500 people and rendering the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blocked enclave.

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