Restrictions at Rafah crossing threaten lives of over two million Palestinians in Gaza

GAZA, Feb. 16 (YPA) – Palestinian Ministry of Health warned on Monday of a rapid and dangerous deterioration in the health situation in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry’s director general of hospitals, Mohammed Zaqout, told Qatar News Agency that conditions have reached catastrophic levels that threaten the right to life and access to medical care for more than two million Palestinians amid ongoing restrictions on the healthcare system and the targeting of its essential infrastructure.

He clarified that the crisis in Gaza is no longer an emergency health situation but the result of systematic policies that have dismantled the healthcare system, adding the few hospitals still operating have effectively become overcrowded waiting points for thousands of patients and wounded individuals facing an uncertain future.

Zaqout described the situation as a form of “health genocide,” noting that maintaining medical services has become nearly a daily struggle, given the severe limitations on restoring specialized care or initiating recovery efforts.

Over 20,000 patients and injured people are waiting to travel outside the enclave for treatment, while the limited and partial operation of the Rafah crossing remains insufficient to address the scale of the humanitarian crisis,” he stated.

He called for the crossing to be opened permanently and regularly to allow patients to travel without delay and to enable urgent evacuations for critical cases in line with the growing medical needs.

Addressing shortages of medicines and medical supplies, Zaqout said stocks have fallen to unprecedented levels, with a 46% shortage of essential drugs, a 66% deficit in medical supplies, and an 84% shortage of laboratory and blood bank materials.

He warned that continued restrictions on the entry of supplies could lead to the complete shutdown of laboratories and blood banks.

AA