GAZA, (PIC)
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that Israeli restrictions on medical supplies entering the Gaza Strip are endangering thousands of patients amid critical shortages.
“Every day, we see impacts of the restrictions on entry of medical supplies into Gaza in our hospitals and clinics. The needs in Gaza are massive, yet not enough aid is entering because Israeli authorities are blocking it. Just outside of Gaza, there are trucks with food and medicine waiting, yet they are blocked. MSF has not been able to bring in any supplies since January 1, 2026,” a statement released last Friday by the medical agency explained.
“Currently, we are struggling with a critical shortage in our stock of non-communicable disease (NCD) medications. Almost 50 percent of our essential chronic medications are critically low, including medications for diabetes, hypertension, thyroid gland conditions, asthma, and other respiratory diseases. This jeopardizes our ability to provide essential care for chronic diseases.”
“We have already had to stop accepting new patients for our NCD services, limiting the provision of care and dispensing medicine to our existing cohort of patients. Not being able to provide proper care will inevitably lead to preventable deaths of patients with chronic diseases.”
“We are also seeing a shortage of dressing material in our facilities, such as gauze and compresses, which will impact all our wound care-related activities — especially in our field hospital, where we provide dressing for surgical interventions, post-operative care, and trauma wounds. Having enough dressings is essential to avoid infected wounds or infected burns.”
On average, MSF receives more than 100 patients who need dressing materials every day in the outpatient department at one of its field hospitals, as well as up to 30 burn patients admitted every day, according to the statement.
“Another critical impact of these restrictions is the supply strain on medical equipment. We have not been able to enter any new equipment since the beginning of this year, which is putting huge stress on our teams and activities.”
MSF said its “teams are working hard to continue providing care, but they are under immense strain,” adding that “dedication and last-resort solutions cannot replace a stable and unhindered entry of supplies.”
MSF stressed the need for medical supplies and equipment to enter Gaza now.
In another development, the Union of Gaza Municipalities has warned in an urgent statement of “total collapse” in their ability to provide vital services due to the worsening fuel crisis, the blockade, closed crossings, and the ban on the entry of spare parts.
“The acute shortage of diesel and industrial oils needed to operate water wells, sewage treatment plants, electricity generators, and municipal machinery, which is used to open roads and remove rubble, has started rapidly paralyzing municipalities and draining their already limited resources,” the Union explained in a statement released on Saturday.
According to the Union, many municipal equipment and vehicles have already stopped working, while the remaining ones are at risk of complete shutdown at any moment.