The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to a catastrophic health crisis, with over 1,000 Palestinians in need of medical treatment having died since the war began, according to Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Hospital. The dire situation is exacerbated by Israel’s stringent restrictions on essential medical supplies entering the Gaza Strip, leaving the already collapsing health system in ruins. Since the ceasefire began on October 11, only 10 percent of the required medical supplies have reached the besieged enclave, leaving more than 350,000 patients with chronic conditions without access to vital medication. Hospitals are overwhelmed, receiving the bodies of patients who succumb to their illnesses daily due to the lack of medicine. ‘Without treatment, their fate is death,’ Abu Salmiya warned. Additionally, 22,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 who have completed the necessary paperwork, are unable to travel abroad for treatment due to the continued closure of crossings by Israel. Women and children are among the most vulnerable, with newborn mortality rates skyrocketing from 10 percent before the war to over 40 percent now. Pregnancy-related mortality rates have also risen drastically. The crisis worsened after Israel launched a wave of heavy air strikes across Gaza, killing 104 people, including 46 children, and wounding hundreds more. Abu Salmiya described the situation as a ‘massacre,’ with the wounded dying before their eyes due to the lack of medical attention. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defence search-and-rescue team, highlighted the severe lack of equipment, which has drastically limited their ability to carry out rescue operations. ‘Thousands of people in Gaza have died because civil defence teams were unable to reach them immediately and efficiently to rescue them,’ he explained. Israel has yet to allow heavy equipment into Gaza for use by the civil defence, with any machinery entering the enclave being used solely to retrieve the bodies of Israeli captives killed in Gaza. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 68,643 Palestinians and wounded over 170,000, with most of those killed being civilians. Around 10,000 are missing and believed to be dead and buried under rubble.