Gaza's Health Ministry warns of critical shortages of medicines, medical consumables and laboratory supplies that are jeopardising emergency, surgical and intensive-care services. The ministry reported 321 essential medicines out of stock (52% shortfall), 710 medical consumables out of stock (71%), and a 59% shortfall in lab and blood-bank supplies. Officials say medical truck entries are at under 30% of monthly needs and that restricted evacuations have contributed to the deaths of around 1,200 patients, including 155 children.
Gaza Faces Alarming Medicine Shortages Amid Continued Restrictions on Aid
Displaced Palestinian child Yasser Arafat, 5, who, according to medics, suffers from severe acute malnutrition, sits in front of his family's tent at a displacement camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza [File: Haseeb Alwazeer/Reuters]
Gaza's Ministry of Health has issued an urgent appeal for drugs, medical consumables and laboratory supplies, warning that severe shortages are undermining the territory's ability to deliver basic diagnostic and lifesaving care.
The ministry said on Sunday that stockouts and dwindling supplies — which it links to more than two years of conflict and an ongoing blockade, described by the ministry as a "genocidal" war — are making it increasingly difficult for hospitals and clinics to function.
Scale of the Shortages
In an official statement the Health Ministry set out the extent of the gaps:
"The number of items completely out of stock on the essential medicines list has reached 321, representing a 52 percent shortage. The number of items completely out of stock on the medical consumables list has reached 710, representing a 71 percent shortage. The shortage rate for laboratory tests and blood bank supplies has reached 59 percent."
The ministry flagged the most critical shortfalls in emergency care: life-saving intravenous fluids, IV antibiotics and painkillers. It warned that shortages in emergency and intensive care could deny emergency care to an estimated 200,000 patients, surgical services to about 100,000 people and intensive care to roughly 700 patients.
Supply Chain And Access Issues
Officials said the flow of medical shipments into Gaza has declined sharply: medical truck entries are reportedly at less than 30 percent of the monthly requirement. The ministry also said that despite a United States-backed ceasefire that took effect on October 10, agreed volumes of medical aid have not been permitted to enter, intensifying what it described as a critical and ongoing health emergency.
As a result of the restricted movement of patients, the ministry said about 1,500 children are waiting for border crossings to open so they can travel for treatment outside Gaza. Zaher Al Waheidi, head of the Information Unit at Gaza's Health Ministry, told reporters that 1,200 patients — including 155 children — have died after being unable to be evacuated for urgent medical care.
Other Health Consequences
The ministry reported additional shortages across specialties, including supplies for kidney care, oncology, open-heart surgery and orthopaedics. It also documented extensive damage to health infrastructure: at least 125 health facilities—among them 34 hospitals—were damaged during the fighting, according to the ministry.
Separately, medical sources said six Palestinian detainees recently released from Israeli custody arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah after transfer by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Rights groups have raised concerns about detention conditions and limited access; the ICRC has said it has not been granted access to Palestinians held in Israeli detention since October 2023 and stressed that international humanitarian law requires humane treatment and contact with families.
Gaza's Civil Defence said it rescued five people, including a child and two women, who had been trapped under a collapsed roof in Sheikh Radwan; the Gaza Ministry of Interior and National Security reported the collapse killed four people and said at least 18 people have died from the collapse of 46 buildings since the ceasefire began.
Overall casualty figures cited by Gaza health authorities remain high: more than 70,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children, the ministry says — have been killed and over 171,000 wounded in the hostilities since October 2023.
The Health Ministry has appealed to international organisations, donor states and other relevant parties to urgently scale up medical deliveries, unblock patient evacuations and support emergency interventions to prevent further loss of life.
