The Gaza Strip is facing a deepening humanitarian catastrophe amid the ongoing campaign of genocide launched by the Israeli occupation since October 2023. The assault has devastated every aspect of civilian life, with the healthcare system in particular pushed to collapse—unable to meet even the most basic needs of the wounded and the chronically ill. This crisis is compounded by the destruction of infrastructure and the depletion of essential medical supplies.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has declared a critical and life-threatening shortage of blood units across hospitals in the territory. As Israel intensifies its aerial and ground assaults, the number of casualties continues to rise, while medical facilities, already stripped of resources, are unable to respond effectively.
According to the Ministry, this shortage is directly linked to the growing number of injured persons resulting from ongoing bombings, and the inability of residents to donate blood due to widespread hunger and malnutrition caused by the full blockade that has prevented the entry of food, medicine, and fuel since March.
The Ministry has issued an urgent appeal to the international community to facilitate the immediate entry of sufficient blood supplies and related equipment, warning that the lives of hundreds of wounded civilians hang in the balance. With most hospitals in Gaza either destroyed or non-functional, the remaining facilities are incapable of continuing life-saving care without urgent intervention.
Recent data from the Ministry of Health, published in April, reveals that over 37% of essential medicines and 59% of medical consumables are entirely unavailable. This shortage renders hospitals incapable of providing even the most basic medical care, even as new casualties arrive daily.
In a dangerous escalation, the Israeli military launched a new offensive dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots” on 17 May, resulting in another wave of mass killings targeting civilians and driving a surge in the number of severely injured individuals seeking help from collapsing healthcare centres.
Since 7 October 2023, Israel has deliberately targeted Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare infrastructure, rendering most of them inoperable and depriving thousands of injured and ill civilians of treatment. These facilities, which should serve as protected humanitarian zones, have instead been turned into targets, violating the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
This genocide has already resulted in more than 182,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, the majority of them women and children. Over 11,000 people remain missing—many presumed buried under rubble—and hundreds of thousands have been forcibly displaced. They now endure unbearable living conditions marked by famine, lack of clean water, and the collapse of basic services.
The international community and institutions of international justice bear both moral and legal responsibility for the continuation of this catastrophic situation. Their silence and failure to act decisively have allowed the machinery of destruction to operate with impunity, without accountability for what are widely recognised as some of the gravest crimes under international law, foremost among them the crime of genocide.
In light of this humanitarian emergency, mere statements of condemnation or appeals for “de-escalation” are grossly insufficient. What is urgently required is decisive and practical action to enforce international protection for civilians, lift the blockade, and ensure the immediate and sustained delivery of medical and humanitarian aid. Only this can preserve the basic dignity and right to life of over two million people trapped under siege and bombardment in Gaza.
