Gaza Health Ministry 50 Thalassemia Patients Die

The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip stated on Saturday that thalassemia patients are facing a “catastrophic” health and humanitarian situation due to the repercussions of the Israeli offensive, noting that 50 patients have died since the start of the war.

This came in a statement issued by the Ministry on the occasion of World Thalassemia Day, observed annually on May 8.

The Ministry stated that patients are living through a “daily battle for survival” due to shortages of specialized medications, laboratory testing materials, and blood transfusions, in addition to the scarcity of blood units and the destruction of specialized medical centers.

The health sector in Gaza is suffering from a widespread collapse as a result of the Israeli offensive, which has caused extensive damage to hospitals and health infrastructure, along with a severe shortage of medications, fuel, and medical supplies.

The Ministry of Health added that “50 patients have died during the war.”

It continued, stating that the dire humanitarian conditions and repeated displacement are exacerbating the suffering of patients and directly threatening their lives.

The ministry reported that 237 people with thalassemia are currently living in the Gaza Strip, including 52 children under 12 and 185 adults over that age. Forty-seven patients left the Strip during the war.

The ministry warned that the destruction of laboratory infrastructure and the shortage of equipment needed for preventative, diagnostic, and treatment tests threaten to create new, undiagnosed cases, undermining efforts to prevent the disease.

The ministry called on international health organizations to intervene urgently and focus on the suffering of thalassemia patients in Gaza, who are living in “deadly conditions” that threaten their lives.