Dire blood shortage in Gaza as deaths from Israeli attacks, starvation grow
Healthcare officials in the besieged enclave reported on Wednesday that there is a severe shortage of blood as many would-be donors are too malnourished due to a severe Israeli-induced hunger crisis that has so far claimed the lives of 193 Palestinians, including five in the past 24 hours.
Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said blood donations are desperately needed across the remaining operational medical facilities in Gaza – al-Shifa Hospital, Al-Aqsa Hospital, and Nasser Hospital.
'We've seen at the blood banks many people who were begging doctors to allow them to give blood donations to save their loved ones, but they had to be turned away because they were not fit to donate blood due to the enforced dehydration and starvation,' Mahmoud said.
Amani Abu Ouda, head of the blood bank at al-Shifa Hospital, said most would-be donors who arrive are malnourished, which affects the safety and quality of blood donations.
As a result, she said, 'when they donate blood they could lose consciousness within seconds, which not only endangers their health but also leads to the loss of a precious blood unit.'
More than 14,800 patients in Gaza are still in urgent need of specialised medical treatment, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, calling on the international community to act swiftly.
'We urge more countries to step forward to accept patients and for medical evacuations to be expedited through all possible routes,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement posted on X on Wednesday.
Israeli attacks have continued to pound Gaza, killing at least 38 people on Wednesday.
An overnight attack in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood injured dozens of people. The attack targeted the Sheikh Radwan Health Centre, previously run by the UN refugee agency for Palestinians.
'Last night, while we were having dinner, we suddenly heard people shouting, calling for evacuation. There was no time to take anything no food, no clothes, no bedding. We just ran,' Ghaleb Tafesh, a displaced Palestinian resident, told Al Jazeera.
Among those killed Wednesday were 10 hungry aid seekers, who were shot dead as they approached UN aid trucks and aid distribution sites operated by the United States and Israeli-backed GHF.
So far, more than 1,560 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to receive food since GHF began operating in late May.
This week, a group of UN special rapporteurs and independent human rights experts called for the GHF to be disbanded, saying it is 'an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law'.
Israel's air and ground assault has also destroyed nearly all of Gaza's food production capabilities, leaving its people reliant on aid.
A new report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN satellite centre found that just 8.6 percent of Gaza's cropland is still accessible following sweeping Israeli forced evacuation orders in recent months. Just 1.5 percent is accessible and undamaged, it said.
Israel blockade extends to medical supplies and fuel
Hamas, meanwhile, called for protests across the world against the starvation in Gaza.
'We call for continuing and escalating the popular pressure in the cities, capitals and squares on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and all the upcoming days with marches, protests and demonstrations in front of the Zionist and US embassies,' Hamas said in a statement.
Israel's blockade extends to medical supplies and much-needed fuel – shortages that have forced several medical facilities to shut down in recent months.
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warned that Israel's continued blockade on the entry of fuel into Gaza is affecting 'lifesaving' operations.
'In the past two days, the UN collected some 300,000 litres from the Karem Abu Salem [Kerem Shalom] crossing,' Haq told reporters.
'This is far less than what is needed to sustain operations,' he said. 'For example, our partners working in health warned today that the lives of more than 100 premature babies are in imminent danger due to the lack of fuel.'
Haq also said that, since March, more than 100 health workers, including surgeons and specialised staff, had been denied entry into the Strip.
Fears mount over possible plans for expanded military offensive in Gaza
The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announce further military action – and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine.
The UN has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza 'deeply alarming' if true.
Despite international pressure for a ceasefire, efforts to mediate a truce between Israel and Hamas have collapsed.
An expansion of the military offensive in heavily populated areas would likely be devastating.
'Where will we go?' said Tamer al-Burai, a displaced Palestinian living at the edge of Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
'Should people jump into the sea if the tanks rolled in, or wait to die under the rubble of their houses? We want an end to this war; it is enough, enough.'
More than 61,158 Palestinians, including at least 18,430 children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Forty-nine captives, including 27 who are believed to be dead, are still being held by Hamas, according to Israeli authorities.
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Al Jazeera
15 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israeli forces kill 21 aid seekers as Gaza starvation death toll rises
Israeli attacks have killed at least 39 people, including 21 seeking humanitarian aid and 11 who starved to death, over 24 hours in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say. Gaza's Ministry of Health said on Saturday that the total number of malnutrition deaths has reached 212, including 98 children, since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. Most of the deaths have occurred in recent weeks as Israel continues to impose severe restrictions on aid supplies entering Gaza after partially lifting a total blockade in late May. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, told Al Jazeera that famine continues to pose a serious risk 'especially among children and the elderly'. 'Malnutrition among children leads to decreased immunity and may lead to death,' he said. On Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) called on Israel to allow the delivery of at least 100 aid trucks per day to Gaza, noting that only 60 of its aid truck drivers have been vetted and approved by the Israeli military to date. The 100 trucks per day the organisation called for is a fraction of the 600 per day other United Nations agencies and Gaza authorities have said are needed to meet the basic needs of Gaza residents. 'Since July 27, 266 WFP trucks arriving at crossing points were turned back, 31 percent of which had initially been approved,' the agency's latest report said. 'Convoy movements are frequently hampered by last-minute changes by Israeli authorities, and heavy insecurity due to military activities along convoy routes.' In its latest statement on Saturday, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, noted that it has not been allowed to bring any humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food and medicine, for more than five months, depriving hungry and ailing Palestinians of what they need to survive. UNRWA has been calling on Israel to lift its siege on Gaza, saying the ongoing airdrops of humanitarian aid from several countries 'are very expensive and ineffective' at reaching those urgently in need. The warnings come as Israeli forces continued to escalate their attacks across the territory. Six people were killed by Israeli soldiers while waiting for aid near the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera. Two other Palestinians were also killed and transported to the Nasser Medical Complex from a GHF aid distribution site in the southern part of the territory. One woman was killed and another person was wounded in an Israeli air strike targeting an apartment in Khan Younis in the south. According to the Gaza Health Ministry's latest count, at least 39 people have been killed in 24 hours. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 61,369 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 152,850. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive. 'No one and nowhere is safe' As the death toll continues to soar, international condemnation of Israel's conduct in the war is growing, with several countries raising alarm over Israel's plans to seize Gaza City in an operation that could forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to concentration zones in southern Gaza. A rare emergency UN Security Council meeting has been scheduled on Sunday to address the plan approved by Israel's security cabinet this week. In Gaza City, residents were defiant, promising not to leave in the event of a new Israeli ground offensive. Umm Imran told Al Jazeera that there was nowhere safe in Gaza. 'They say go south, go to al-Mawasi, but there is nowhere safe any more – north, south, east or west. No one and nowhere is safe. We will stay here.' Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said residents were unable to sleep on Friday night after the announcement by Israel. 'People are wondering what's going to happen to them, what's going to be left of Gaza if Israel moves on with its approved plan to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, starting with Gaza City,' he said. The Israeli plan has also been condemned by the foreign ministers of Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In a joint statement on Saturday, the diplomats warned that Israel's plan will 'aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation, endanger the lives of the hostages, and further risk the mass displacement of civilians'. 'Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law.' Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also urged Muslim nations to work in unison to oppose Israel's plan. Speaking at a joint news conference in El Alamein with his Egyptian counterpart after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Fidan said members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had been called to an emergency meeting to tackle the crisis.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
In my Gaza maternity ward, life and death coexist, but so does hope
It is 2am in the obstetrics and gynaecology emergency department of Assahaba Medical Complex in Gaza City. Through the open windows, I can hear the never-ending hum of drones in the sky above, but aside from that, it is quiet. A breeze flows through the empty hall, granting relief from the heat, and a soft blue glow emanates from the few lights that are on. I am six months into a yearlong internship and 12 hours into a 16-hour shift. I am so tired that I could fall asleep here at the admissions desk, but in the calm, a rare sense of peace envelopes me. It is soon shattered by a woman crying in pain. She is bleeding and gripped by cramps. We examine her and tell her that she has lost her unborn baby – the child she has dreamed of meeting. The woman was newly married, but just a month after her wedding, her husband was killed in an air raid. The child she was carrying – a 10-week-old embryo – was their first and will be their last. Her face is pale, as though her blood has frozen with the shock. There is anguish, denial, and screams. Her screams draw the attention of others, who gather around her as she falls to the ground. We revive her, only to return her to her suffering. But now she is silent – there are no cries, no expression. Having lost her husband, she now endures the pain of losing what she hoped would be a living memory of him. Life insists on arriving It is my sixth night shift in obstetrics and gynaecology. I am supposed to rotate through other departments – spending two months in each – but I have already decided to become a gynaecologist during this rotation. Being in this ward brings joy to my life – it is where life begins, and it teaches me that hope is present regardless of the terrible things we are enduring. Giving birth in a war zone – amid bombing, hunger, and fear – means life and death coexist. Sometimes, I still struggle to understand how life insists on arriving in this place surrounded by death. It amazes me that mothers continue to bring children into a world in which survival feels uncertain. If the bombings don't take us, hunger might. But what surprises me most is the resilience and patience of my people. They believe their children will live on to carry an important message: That no matter how many you have killed, Gaza responds by refusing to be erased. Childbirth is far from easy. It is physically and emotionally exhausting, and mothers in Gaza endure excruciating pain without access to basic pain relief. Since March, the hospital has seen a severe shortage of basic supplies, including pain relief medication and anaesthetics. When they cry out as I stitch their tear wounds without anaesthesia, I feel helpless, but I try to distract them by telling them how beautiful their babies are and reassuring them that they have gotten through the hardest part. With constant hunger here, many pregnant women are fatigued and do not gain enough weight during pregnancy. When the time comes to deliver, they are exhausted even before they begin to push. As a result, their labour can be prolonged, which means more pain for the mother. If a baby's heartbeat slows, she might need an emergency Cesarean section. Practicing medicine here is far from ideal. Hospitals are overwhelmed, and resources are severely limited. We're constantly battling shortages of medical supplies. On every night shift, I work with one gynaecologist, three nurses and three midwives. I usually deal with the easier tasks, such as assessing conditions, suturing small tear wounds, and assisting with normal deliveries. A gynaecologist takes the more complicated cases, and a surgeon performs the elective and emergency Caesarean sections. The surgeon always reminds us to minimise the consumption of gauze and sutures as much as possible, and to save them for the next patient who may arrive in desperate need. I try to discard and replace gauze only after it is completely saturated with blood. Power outages make things even more difficult. The electricity cuts out several times a day, plunging the delivery room into darkness. In those moments, we have no choice but to switch on our phone flashlights to guide our hands. During a recent shift, the electricity went out for nearly 10 minutes after a baby was born. The mother's placenta hadn't been delivered yet, so we used our phone lights to help her. Many of the best medical professionals in Gaza have been killed, like Dr Basel Mahdi and his brother, Dr Raed Mahdi, both gynaecologists. They were killed while on duty at Mahdi Maternity Hospital in November 2023. Countless others have fled Gaza. Most of the time, the doctors around me are too overworked to offer guidance or teach me the practical skills I had hoped to learn, though they try their best. Still, some moments pierce through the exhaustion and remind me why I chose this path in the first place. These encounters stay with me longer than any lecture or textbook could. At dawn, a new baby During one shift, a pregnant woman came in for a routine check-up, accompanied by her five-year-old daughter, whose smile lit up the room. She had come to learn the baby's gender. As I prepared the ultrasound, I turned and playfully asked the little girl, 'Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?' Without hesitation, she said, 'A boy.' Surprised by her certainty, I gently asked why. Before she could respond, her mother quietly explained. 'She doesn't want a girl. She's afraid she'll lose her – like she lost her older sister, who was killed in this latest attack.' Another day, a woman in her tenth week of pregnancy came to the obstetrics clinic after being told by a doctor that her baby's heart was not beating. As I performed an ultrasound to check the fetus, to my surprise and relief, I detected a heartbeat. The woman cried with joy. On that day, I witnessed life where it was thought to have been lost. Tragedy touches every part of our lives in Gaza. It is woven into our most intimate moments, even around the joy of expecting a new life. Safety is a luxury we've never known. At 6am, as dawn breaks on the morning of my shift, we welcome a new baby born to a mother from the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, an area surrounded by Israeli soldiers and tanks. As the first rays of sunlight pierce the delivery room, the mother cries happy tears, her face flushed as she hugs her baby girl. Having endured a night filled with fear, missiles, and snipers, the mother and her family managed to reach the hospital safely. In this moment, they celebrate and find a reason to hope again.
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Famine kills nearly 200 in Gaza amid ‘apocalyptic' battle for survival
Gaza health authorities say nearly 200 people, including 96 children, have died of hunger in Gaza, as the starving population battles against the odds to get food from dangerous airdrops and deadly aid hubs run by the GHF. As Israel's man-made famine under the ongoing blockade tightened its grip on the enclave, hospitals recorded four more deaths from 'famine and malnutrition' on Thursday – two of them children – bringing the total to 197. Amid the mounting death toll, World Health Organization (WHO) director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that about 12,000 children younger than five were suffering from acute malnutrition in July – the highest monthly figure ever recorded. The scenes in Gaza City are 'apocalyptic', said Al Jazeera's Ibrahim al-Khalili, with hundreds of people scrambling for scraps from aid pallets airdropped among the rubble of destroyed buildings. 'Here the fight is not over food, but for survival,' he said. Mustafa Tanani, a displaced Palestinian at the scene, said that some of the food had failed to land and was 'hanging up high' between the buildings, making it 'too risky' to try to reach. 'It's like a battle here. We come from far away and end up with nothing,' he said. 'Everyone is carrying bags of aid, and we don't even manage to get anything. The planes are dropping aid for nothing. Look where they threw it. Up there, between the buildings. It's dangerous for us,' he said. Children at risk Two children died of hunger in Gaza on Thursday, including a two-year-old girl in the al-Mawasi area, according to Nasser Hospital. Raising the alarm over chronic child malnutrition, the United Nations said that its partners were able to reach only 8,700 of the 290,000 children under age five who desperately needed food and nutritional supplements. Amjad Shawa, the head of the NGO Network in Gaza, told Al Jazeera Arabic that at least 200,000 children in the Gaza Strip suffer from severe malnutrition, with many deaths caused by a lack of baby formula and nutritional supplements under Israel's blockade, in place since March. Gaza's Government Media Office said that only 92 aid trucks entered the enclave on Wednesday, far less than the 500-600 that the United Nations estimates are needed daily to meet basic needs. Most of the aid that did make it in was prevented from reaching its intended recipients due to widespread 'looting and robbery', as a result of 'deliberate security chaos' orchestrated by Israel, said the office. 'Orchestrated killing' As the hunger crisis deepened, Doctors Without Borders, better known by its French-language acronym MSF, called for the closure of the notorious US- and Israeli-backed GHF, which runs deadly aid hubs where more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed trying to reach food. The NGO published a report on Thursday featuring testimony from front-line staff that Palestinians were being deliberately targeted at the sites, which they said amounted to 'orchestrated killing and dehumanisation', not humanitarian aid. MSF operates two healthcare centres – al-Mawasi and al-Attar clinics – in direct proximity to GHF sites in southern Gaza, which received 1,380 casualties within seven weeks, treating 71 children for gunshot wounds, 25 of whom were under the age of 15. 'In MSF's nearly 54 years of operations, rarely have we seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians,' said the report. MSF patient Mohammed Riad Tabasi told Al Jazeera he had seen 36 people killed in the space of 10 minutes at a GHF site. 'It was unbearable,' he said. 'War is one thing, but this … aid distribution is another. We've never been humiliated like this.' Deadly strikes As the population battled for survival, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News his country intended to take military control of all of Gaza. On Thursday, Israel continued to launch deadly air strikes on residential areas, killing at least 22 people. In Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum reported that a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed five civilians. An attack on the municipality of Bani Suheila, east of southern Gaza's Khan Younis city, killed at least two people, according to a source from Nasser Hospital. Six others were killed in earlier attacks in the Khan Younis area. One child died while attempting to retrieve airdropped aid there. In northern Gaza's Jabalia, at least one person was killed, according to a local medical source. Palestine's Wafa news agency reported several deadly attacks in Gaza City, one targeting a tent in the city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood that killed at least six people. The second attack targeted a separate residential area in the city, killing a woman and injuring others, said Wafa. 'Israel's military escalation continues without any sign of abating. And civilians are still bearing the brunt of this conflict,' said Abu Azzoum. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 61,258 people.
