Gaza is without medicine, a humanitarian and health crisis is unfolding, and the population is facing a catastrophic shortage of medicines and medical supplies. This crisis is a method of indirect death followed by the Israeli occupation against the people of the Gaza Strip, and cast a shadow over the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients.
How is indirect killing practiced by preventing the entry of medicine and medical supplies?
Preventing the entry of medicine and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip is one of the most serious forms of indirect killing, not through the use of weapons directly, but by depriving patients of their right to treatment, which leads to the deterioration of their health or death slowly and silently. This policy is practiced through several interrelated mechanisms that directly affect the lives of the population.
1. Restriction of medication introduction
Many essential medications, including those for chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease, are banned or restricted. This prevention leads to the interruption of treatment for patients, causing serious complications that can lead to death, although these conditions can be controlled under normal conditions.
2. Preventing or delaying the entry of medical supplies
Prevention is not limited to medicines only, but includes vital medical supplies (such as surgical instruments, anesthetics, dialysis kits, respirators, sterilization materials) the absence of which hinders urgent surgical procedures and forces doctors to postpone treatment or provide inadequate care, putting patients’ lives at risk.
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3. Disruption of the work of hospitals and health centers
Lack of medicine and supplies leads to partial or complete paralysis in the functioning of hospitals, where entire sections are closed or operate with limited capacity. This disruption shifts hospitals from rescue to waiting places, where patients lose their chance of timely treatment.
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How does preventing the entry of medicine affect Gazans?
Preventing the entry of medicines into the Gaza Strip is one of the most serious humanitarian crises, as its impact is not only immediate, but cumulative and often deadly. Medicine is not a luxury, but an essential element of life, and depriving the population of it means exposing them to slow death and constant suffering.
1. Worsening chronic diseases and lack of regular treatment
Blocking the entry of medicines interrupts treatment for thousands of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, stress, heart disease and asthma. This interruption causes a rapid deterioration in their health, with high rates of serious complications such as strokes, kidney failure, and asphyxia attacks. In the absence of alternatives, the disease shifts from a manageable condition to an immediate threat to life.
2. High rates of preventable deaths
Shortages of medicines directly contribute to increased mortality, especially among children, the elderly, and critical patients. The absence of cancer drugs, incubators, antibiotics, and emergency medicines leads to the deaths of patients who could have been easily saved if treatment were available. By doing so, blocking the drug becomes a cause of slow death and silence without any direct military means.
3. Health system paralysis and hospital deficit
Shortages of medicines and medical supplies disrupt hospitals and health centers, where surgeries are postponed, and entire departments are closed due to the absence of anesthetics, solutions, and sterilization tools. This infirmity deprives the wounded and sick of necessary care, and transforms hospitals from rescue places to waiting places for the unknown.
4. Impact on Children
Children are among those most affected by preventing the entry of medicines, as the lack of medicines and supplements leads to weak immunity and the spread of respiratory diseases and malnutrition. The lack of prompt treatment also causes minor illnesses to develop into serious conditions, which threaten their lives and affect their long-term physical and psychological development.
5. The suffering and deteriorating health of older persons
The elderly rely heavily on regular treatment to maintain their health stability, and with the interruption of medications their condition rapidly deteriorates. This leads to increased health complications, loss of mobility or self-reliance, and a higher risk of death, especially given poor health care and lack of medical follow-up.
