Gaza’s Health Ministry issued a warning today regarding the potential “complete shutdown” of blood banks across the Strip due to a critical shortage of necessary supplies for transfusion, testing, and blood storage. This announcement comes as hospitals continue to receive a significant influx of Palestinians injured from ongoing Israeli airstrikes.
In a statement, the ministry highlighted that the severe depletion of laboratory supplies is exacerbating the already dire shortage of blood. This situation is severely impacting hospitals’ abilities to conduct life-saving procedures for those wounded in the attacks.
Palestinian writer Donya Abu Sitta shared her observations in Al Jazeera, stating, “I live near Nasser Hospital in the west of Khan Younis city. Almost every day, I hear desperate calls for blood donations made on loudspeakers out of the hospital. It has been like that for more than a year.”
Earlier in June, Dr. Sofia Za’arab, the director of the Laboratory and Blood Bank, informed the media about the critical levels of blood shortages, emphasizing that the entire region requires 400 blood units daily to sustain patient care.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 50 Palestinians, including five individuals seeking aid, were killed, and 184 others were injured in the recent Israeli attacks within a 24-hour period. Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s military actions have reportedly resulted in the deaths of 66,055 individuals and injuries to 168,346 others across the enclave, as stated in an announcement on Telegram.
Tags: Gaza, blood banks, shutdown, Israeli attacks, humanitarian crisis
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