Doctors and nurses in Gaza have warned of a shortage of medical supplies, with women and children suffering the most as the Israeli blockade of the Strip enters its sixth week.
Doctors in Gaza running out of vital medicines
Netanyahu’s government announced in early March that it would prevent all trucks carrying vital supplies from entering Gaza in an attempt to increase pressure on Hamas to release the 59 remaining Israeli hostages, 35 of whom are presumed dead. Since then, no convoy has crossed the war-torn strip.
The humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said the situation was forcing it to make difficult decisions at its clinics across Gaza.
Medicines, such as those needed to treat high blood pressure and diabetes, are in catastrophic short supply.
“We have what we call the first line of medication- and this first line of medication is the best drug for that particular disease,” MSF coordinator Chiara Lodi at a clinic in Al-Mawasi in southern Gaza said.
Lodi also added:
“Now what we have to do, or what we’ve started to do, is start to use like what is not the first line — so this is not the best choice for that particular disease. The clinics are open, the hospitals are open, but this impacts the quality that we are providing.”
The situation is forcing medical staff to make the difficult decision to send some patients home if their condition is not as critical as others.
According to Ms Lodi, the staff at Al-Mawasi Clinic sees about 200 pregnant women a day.
“For this special category, so for a pregnant [woman], they cannot take the antibiotics that the other people take. There are specific antibiotics for pregnant [women], and we have seen our stock depleting day by day.”
Israel’s blockade of Gaza continues
Earlier this week, reports emerged that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) suggested that the humanitarian blockade could be lifted in the coming weeks, with the continued refusal to allow supplies into Gaza no longer an option.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office rejected the reports, insisting that Hamas must continue to be under significant pressure.
ABC has sought comment from the Israeli agency that coordinates aid and services in Gaza, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) – it has referred enquiries to the Prime Minister’s office.
The IDF was also asked a number of questions about the situation. It said it was complying with the will of the government and refused to provide aid to terrorists.
On Monday, senior representatives of several UN agencies said the blockade showed “total disregard for the human life” of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.
“With the tightened Israeli blockade on Gaza now in its second month, we appeal to world leaders to act — firmly, urgently and decisively — to ensure the basic principles of international humanitarian law are upheld,” the officials said in a joint statement.
Dutch FM summons Israeli envoy over deadly attack on ambulances in Gaza
The Dutch foreign minister summoned the Israeli ambassador after an Israeli attack on a convoy of ambulances in Gaza that killed 15 aid workers.
Caspar Veldkamp summoned Modi Ephraim to “provide clarifications on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip,” the NL Times website reported on Tuesday. Veldkamp also notified parliament of the development in a letter, saying the ambassador was to attend a meeting at the foreign ministry on Wednesday.
Last week, the Dutch cabinet condemned a deadly Israeli attack on an ambulance convoy last month.
Israeli troops opened fire on the convoy in the Rafah area of southern Gaza on March 23, killing the ambulance staff.
Israel initially claimed its troops opened fire because the convoy was “suspiciously” approaching in the dark without headlights or flashing beacons.
However, mobile phone footage taken by one of the paramedics killed showed the vehicles had their headlights on as they responded to a call for help for the wounded.
Indonesia ready to temporarily shelter Gazans
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced his country’s readiness to provide temporary shelter for war-torn Gazans.
“We are ready to receive wounded victims, to send planes to transport them. We estimate the numbers may be 1,000 for the first wave,” Subianto said, stressing that priority would be given to “wounded Palestinians and orphaned children” and that the evacuees would stay in Indonesia “until their recovery and until it is safe to return.”
Subianto said he told Indonesia’s foreign minister to discuss the evacuation procedure with the Palestinian leadership and “other parties in the region.”
The statement came ahead of the Indonesian leader’s flight to the Middle East, where he will visit the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan and Turkey to address the country’s parliament.
More than 50,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023 in an Israeli offensive.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
