A great danger threatens the health of heart and dental patients in Gaza due to the Israeli siege

With the ongoing, tight siege on the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Center for Human Rights warned that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to restrict the entry of medical supplies and equipment. This has exacerbated the multifaceted health crisis and directly impacted the lives of tens of thousands of patients, particularly those with heart and dental conditions, whose suffering worsens daily.

In a statement, the Center said that the occupation authorities, as part of their policy of strangling the health system in the Gaza Strip, classify purely therapeutic medical materials and equipment as “dual-use” and almost completely prevent their entry, constituting an ongoing crime targeting the right to health and life.

The Center explained that the dental sector in Gaza is experiencing near-total collapse. World Health Organization data indicates that approximately 84% of health facilities in the Strip have been damaged or destroyed since the beginning of the war. The Center noted that preventing the entry of dental materials and equipment under the pretext of “dual-use” has led to a dramatic increase in the prices of even simple treatments, such as fillings, making them a luxury unaffordable for most residents amidst the comprehensive economic collapse. This forces dentists to resort to extractions as the only solution instead of other treatments.

The human rights center pointed out that the lack of proper sterilization, due to the deliberate electricity and fuel crises, transforms simple problems into serious infections and complications that are difficult to treat later.

The Gaza Center also indicated that the situation for heart patients in Gaza is even more critical. It explained that before the war, between five and eight cardiac catheterizations were performed daily in the major medical complexes in the Gaza Strip, while today this number has dwindled to no more than two or three critical cases per