The Government of Palestine has issued a dire warning over the escalating health crisis caused by Israel’s ongoing war, siege, and financial restrictions on the Gaza Strip and West Bank. According to official statements, attacks by Israeli occupation forces and settlers, coupled with a systematic blockade of essential resources, have pushed the Ministry of Health’s debt beyond $912 million, crippling the healthcare system’s ability to provide life-saving medicines, consumables, and critical services.
In Gaza, the health system faces catastrophic conditions. Hospitals and medical infrastructure have been reduced to ruins by Israel’s war, while the blockade prevents entry of food, medicine, and other vital supplies. Only a few partially functional hospitals remain, struggling to deliver even basic care. Children are the most vulnerable, facing severe health, developmental, and long-term consequences due to starvation, deprivation, and lack of medical treatment.
In the West Bank, Israeli financial restrictions—especially the withholding of Palestinian tax revenues—have paralyzed the healthcare sector. Over 110 essential medicines and 170 categories of medical consumables are completely out of stock, forcing patients to turn to private or NGO hospitals, which themselves face financial crises. Patients with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, heart, and kidney diseases are particularly at risk, with lack of care causing potentially irreversible health consequences.
Non-governmental hospitals in East Jerusalem, including Al-Maqasid and Augusta Victoria—key centers for cancer treatment and specialized care—also face severe financial strain, endangering thousands of patients who rely on their services.
The Palestinian Government emphasized that Israel’s war, siege, and financial strangulation not only devastate the healthcare system but directly threaten patient safety and the continuity of essential health services.
The Government called on the international community, Arab states, and donor partners to urgently:
- Pressure Israel to halt the war on Gaza;
- Lift the siege and reopen border crossings to allow the entry of food, medicine, and supplies;
- Rebuild and reactivate Gaza’s health system;
- Release withheld Palestinian tax revenues;
- Provide financial support to cover the Ministry of Health’s debts;
- Replenish stocks of medicines and medical supplies;
- Sustain funding for Palestinian hospitals and referral centers.
The Government stressed that the right to health is a fundamental human right under international law, and the international community bears a moral and legal responsibility to ensure Palestinian patients have access to essential healthcare despite Israel’s collective punishment measures.
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