In the Gaza Strip, hospitals that remain operational are struggling to provide even the most basic care, as the absence of essential medicines turns routine treatment into a life-or-death challenge. Patients with chronic illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, face daily threats due to an unprecedented shortage of drugs, while antibiotics, emergency medications, and intravenous fluids have all but disappeared from pharmacies and medical centres. Health officials warn that the collapse of the medical supply system is now near total, with hundreds of medications unavailable to those in desperate need.

For more than 80,000 diabetes patients, interrupted treatment threatens serious complications, while thousands with heart conditions risk fatal outcomes, including strokes, as vital drugs are unavailable or replaced with unsafe alternatives. Residents such as Mariam Farwana from Khan Younis have been forced to halve their medication doses, worsening their health and leaving them in constant fear for their lives. Many others, like Khadija Musleh, suffer from multiple chronic conditions and have been unable to access proper treatment for months, leaving them physically weakened and reliant on expensive, limited substitutes.

Medical professionals stress that the situation is worsening as border closures continue to prevent essential supplies from entering Gaza. Hospitals report that nearly half of all essential medicines are depleted, and shortages of medical consumables exceed 70 percent. Patients with cancer, kidney disease, and severe cardiac conditions now face unprecedented challenges in obtaining even minimal levels of care. Health officials call urgently for international support to restore critical supplies, rebuild medical infrastructure, and protect the health of a population already enduring prolonged hardship.