SAFA -  The Gaza Center for Human Rights has warned that Israel's continued restrictions on the entry of medical equipment and supplies into the Gaza Strip are deepening the humanitarian and health crisis, placing the lives of tens of thousands of patients at risk, particularly those suffering from heart disease and dental conditions.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the center said Israel's classification of essential medical materials as "dual-use" items has effectively blocked the entry of life-saving equipment, severely undermining Gaza's already devastated healthcare system.

The center described the restrictions as part of a systematic policy targeting civilians' right to health and life, stressing that the ongoing blockade has left hospitals unable to perform many specialized medical procedures, including cardiac catheterizations, heart surgeries, dental treatments, and other critical interventions.

The statement said Gaza's dental sector is on the verge of collapse. Citing World Health Organization data, the center noted that around 84% of healthcare facilities in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the genocidal war, including a large number of public, charitable, and private dental clinics.

In Khan Younis, where hundreds of thousands of people reside, only one government dental clinic and two UNRWA clinics remain operational, alongside a limited number of partially functioning private clinics. The center said this equates to roughly three dental clinics per 100,000 residents, highlighting the severe shortage of services.

Healthcare System Near Collapse

Israel’s restrictions on importing dental materials have driven treatment costs sharply higher, making routine procedures unaffordable for most residents. As a result, dentists are increasingly forced to extract teeth instead of preserving them through restorative treatment.

The center also warned that the lack of electricity, fuel, and proper sterilization equipment is increasing the risk of infections and preventable complications.

Heart patients face an equally critical situation, the statement said. Before the genocide, hospitals in Gaza performed between five and eight cardiac catheterization procedures daily. That number has now fallen to just two or three emergency cases per day due to severe shortages of coronary stents, balloons, and other essential medical supplies.

Doctors report that approximately 80% of scheduled catheterization procedures have been suspended because of the lack of medical equipment. In some cases, surgeons are forced to end procedures without implanting stents, placing patients at immediate risk.

The center added that patients who have already undergone catheterization are also struggling to obtain medications needed to prevent stent narrowing, while Israeli restrictions on movement continue to obstruct referrals for treatment outside Gaza.

The statement further noted that international humanitarian organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), have repeatedly reported prolonged disruptions in the delivery of medical supplies, threatening treatment for patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. 

It also warned that damage to oxygen production facilities and restrictions on spare parts could lead to a complete interruption of oxygen supplies for hospitals, including neonatal units.

Calls for Urgent International Action

The Gaza Center for Human Rights said Israel's restrictions constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, which obliges an occupying power to ensure the provision of medical supplies to civilians. It argued that using restrictions on medical supplies as a means of harming the civilian population may amount to a war crime and warrants international accountability.

The center called on the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, and the international community to urgently pressure the Israeli occupation to establish a safe and sustainable humanitarian medical corridor that allows the unrestricted entry of medicines, medical equipment, and life-saving supplies, with priority given to cardiac care, intensive care units, operating theaters, dialysis services, and dental care.

It also urged international media outlets, human rights organizations, medical associations, and activists to draw greater attention to a neglected humanitarian crisis, warning that continued silence over restrictions on medical supplies is contributing to the denial of healthcare and threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.