The health situation in the Gaza Strip has reached a catastrophic level, with more than 70,000 hepatitis cases reported across the besieged enclave, according to health authorities.

The spread of infectious diseases, coupled with the collapse of the healthcare system, has created a dire public health emergency that continues to worsen by the day.

The Gaza Ministry of Health warned that the rapid spread of hepatitis, particularly hepatitis A and E, is being fueled by unsanitary conditions in overcrowded shelters, severe water contamination, and the destruction of essential sanitation infrastructure following months of relentless Israeli bombardment.

Hospitals and clinics have been pushed to the brink of total collapse. Forty-one percent of kidney patients have died since the onset of recent attacks due to a lack of dialysis machines, electricity, and medical staff, while 67 percent of medical supplies are completely unavailable, the Ministry said. Many hospitals are operating without anesthesia, antibiotics, or surgical equipment, and several neonatal units have been forced to shut down because of power outages.

Meanwhile, humanitarian aid reaching Gaza remains far below the required levels. Only nine aid trucks have entered the Strip in recent days, carrying limited quantities of medicine, food, and fuel—far short of the 500 trucks per day that used to enter before the war. International organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNRWA, have warned that the trickle of aid is “grossly insufficient” to meet even the most basic needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris described the situation as “a public health nightmare unfolding in real time.” She emphasized that urgent international intervention is needed to evacuate patients requiring specialized care, particularly those suffering from liver failure, cancer, and chronic kidney disease.

Medical NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society have appealed for immediate access to Gaza through the Rafah crossing to deliver medical aid and evacuate critically ill patients. However, Israeli restrictions on entry and continued airstrikes have hindered most evacuation efforts.

Health experts warn that unless the siege is lifted and medical aid flows freely into Gaza, preventable diseases like hepatitis could become an uncontrollable epidemic, further deepening the humanitarian catastrophe. (ILKHA)