The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza warned on Monday of an imminent full shutdown of blood banks in the few operating hospitals across the Strip, due to a critical shortage of laboratory supplies necessary for the transfer and testing of blood units and their components.
اضافة اعلان
In a brief statement, the ministry said: “Hospital blood banks are threatened with a complete halt due to the severe depletion of essential laboratory supplies needed for the transfer and testing of blood units and their components.”
The ministry explained that these developments coincide with “a severe shortage in blood units and components, which hinders emergency interventions for the wounded and life-saving procedures.”
Repeatedly, the ministry has issued appeals warning of the serious risk that the acute shortage of blood units poses to the lives of Palestinian patients and casualties, amid escalating Israeli attacks that result in hundreds of injured individuals in urgent need of blood.
With famine spreading, community blood donation campaigns have declined, as Palestinians are increasingly unable to donate due to malnutrition, despite being the last available source of these critical units under the intensifying Israeli blockade.
In addition to the severe deficit in blood units, Gaza’s health sector suffers from a critical shortage of medicines and medical supplies due to the near-total Israeli closure of crossings since March, blocking humanitarian, medical, and relief aid.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with U.S. support, has carried out a campaign of mass killing in Gaza, including starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to stop.
This ongoing assault has resulted in 66,005 deaths and 168,162 injuries, most of them women and children, with famine claiming the lives of 442 Palestinians, including 147 children. –(Agencies)
