DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Mohamed Attiya endures the harsh journey twice a week over Gaza’s damaged streets to access vital medical treatment. At 54, he heavily relies on dialysis at Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza City for kidney failure, a condition he’s struggled with for nearly 15 years. However, due to the war’s devastating impact and a severe shortage of medical supplies, the treatment barely suffices to cleanse his blood of toxins. “It just brings you back from death,” he described, acknowledging the fragile relief it provides amidst his ongoing battle.
This dire situation affects many like Attiya, resulting in silent casualties within Gaza. Almost 40% of the territory’s dialysis patients, over 400 individuals, have tragically succumbed due to inadequate treatment during the 18-month-long conflict, according to figures from Gaza’s Health Ministry. The blockade initiated since March, which included a halt on imports like food, medical supplies, and fuel, has intensified this humanitarian crisis, following Israel’s pressure tactics on Hamas for hostage release post-ceasefire withdrawal. While the Israeli military agency responsible for overseeing aid coordination, COGAT, withheld comments on the blockade, historical statements point to continued approval of medical aid when border crossings remain operational.
Challenges continue to deepen for patients in Gaza as the blockade and evacuations complicate consistent access to necessary medical care. Attiya, forced to escape his home near Beit Hanoun, endured multiple displacements. Initially seeking refuge in Rafah and subsequently settling in Deir al-Balah, his latest sanctuary is a school in western Gaza City following the January ceasefire. Previously walking to his dialysis, Attiya now finds himself wheelchair-bound, a consequence of insufficient treatment and the rising cost of essential mineral water. Traversing a devastated landscape has become a norm for his family, highlighting the strife and dilapidation of everyday life. “There is no transportation. Streets are damaged,” he lamented, as the circumstances exacerbate health challenges, including toxin-induced hallucinations. “The occupation does not care about the suffering or the sick,” he contended, expressing frustration towards Israeli actions.
The war has inflicted substantial setbacks on Gaza’s health infrastructure. According to the World Health Organization, six of seven dialysis centers have been destroyed, leaving only 102 functioning machines from an original count of 182. Among these, a mere 27 operate in northern Gaza, where a mass return bid followed a ceasefire. Compounding the issue is a critical shortage of medication for kidney ailments, as outlined by WHO, illustrating the dire resource inadequacy. Throughout the conflict, Israel justified hospital raids by alleging Hamas’s utilization of these spaces for military use, a claim the medical staff rebuffs, stressing instead the damage and overwhelming strain on their system struggling amidst extensive casualties. The Health Ministry reports over 51,000 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, amid Israel’s campaign, with no detailed civilian or militant casualty breakdowns available.
Dr. Ghazi al-Yazigi, heading Shifa Hospital’s nephrology and dialysis department, disclosed that since the onset of the war, at least 417 kidney failure patients in Gaza have perished owing to insufficient medical care. Beginning with 1,100 patients, many, like Attiya, face drastic reductions in dialysis frequency and duration weekly, exacerbating health threats with elevated toxins and fluid buildup, as Dr. al-Yazigi warned.
Additionally, individuals newly diagnosed with kidney issues, like Mohamed Kamel, have joined those awaiting critical care at Shifa Hospital. Kamel, treated recently, finds scant improvement post-dialysis sessions, troubled by inadequate access to even essential drinking water. Following Israel’s cessation of electricity supply to Gaza, desalinated drinking water is scarce, impairing health resources further. Escalating displacement occurrences result in missed dialysis schedules, compromising health, as Kamel noted, citing an incident in central Gaza amidst security threats. “The displacement has had consequences,” he observed wearily, embodying the collective exhaustion felt across the embattled strip.