Hospitals across the Gaza Strip are reporting a sharp deterioration in the condition of patients suffering from advanced kidney failure, as severe shortages of medicines and functioning dialysis equipment continue to strain an already overwhelmed health system. Medical staff warn that the ongoing genocidal war and long-standing restrictions on supplies have left specialised departments unable to meet the needs of hundreds of patients requiring life-sustaining treatment several times a week.

At the Al‑Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, doctors say the nephrology department is operating far beyond its capacity. More than two hundred patients diagnosed with stage-five chronic kidney failure rely on dialysis there, each needing lengthy sessions multiple times per week. Yet the hospital currently has only a limited number of machines, many of them ageing and lacking spare parts. Physicians report that many patients are also developing severe anaemia because medications used to stabilise haemoglobin levels are increasingly unavailable.

Medical officials say the mortality rate among kidney patients has risen dramatically during the years of genocidal war, partly because several dialysis units across the territory have ceased operating altogether. Travel restrictions and damaged infrastructure have also prevented many patients from reaching hospitals on time for treatment. Specialists warn that if supplies and equipment are not urgently delivered, hospitals may be forced to shorten dialysis sessions, a step that would further endanger lives.

The broader health system is also under intense pressure. Facilities are operating well beyond their designed capacity while facing critical shortages of essential medicines and medical consumables. Doctors note that the absence of specialised laboratory testing has complicated the diagnosis of new kidney failure cases and made it difficult to monitor patients following treatment.

Health officials estimate that around 1,200 people suffering from kidney disease in the Gaza Strip could face life-threatening complications as shortages persist. Medical teams have renewed calls for dialysis machines, spare parts and essential drugs to be delivered urgently, warning that without immediate support the number of preventable deaths may continue to rise.