Personal sanitario y salud en Palestina

Video "People being left to live in abysmal living conditions."

August 10, 2026
MSF doctor James Smith told Channel 4 that approximately 3,000 children in Gaza are still being admitted to acute malnutrition programs every month, describing the situation as the cumulative result of manufactured deprivation over nearly three years.

Speaking from Gaza, Smith said around 1 million people urgently need emergency shelter, while sanitation systems have largely collapsed and sewage is spreading across the Strip.
He estimated that around 200,000 Palestinians have been wounded since the war began and said Gaza now has more child amputees than any other territory in the world.
Smith also said monitors are recording roughly 200 security incidents each week across Gaza, almost all involving Israeli military activity.

ESPAÑOL

Vídeo

10 agosto 2026

Correspondence
Volume 408, Issue 10555p604August 15, 2026
Poor response from the Israeli Medical Association [expulsion of the World Medical Association]
Wim De Ceukelairea Send email to wim.deceukelaire@proton.me
Affiliations & Notes

I read with interest the World Report1 covering the campaign urging the World Medical Association (WMA) to suspend the Israeli Medical Association (IMA). The People's Health Movement was among the organisations that initiated this campaign.
The World Report is especially valuable for giving the IMA an opportunity to respond—a chance they have demonstrably squandered. Their defence is, in fact, self-incriminating. They allege that “the petition ignores any role of Hamas in the destruction of Gaza's health-care system, such as their deliberate strategy of hiding beneath and within hospitals and using hospitals for military command centers and ammunition storage, in violation of Article 19 of the Fourth Geneva Convention”.1
With this statement, the IMA essentially repeats the Israeli military's justification for targeting health infrastructure in Gaza—despite the lack of evidence2 and UN human rights experts “accusing Israel of deliberately attacking and starving healthcare workers, paramedics and hospitals to wipe out medical care in the besieged enclave”.3 This stance only reinforces the argument that expulsion from the WMA is urgent and necessary. The WMA, as part of the global health community, cannot tolerate an affiliate that actively justifies the deliberate targeting and killing of its colleagues.

Interests
WDC is Co-Chairperson of the People's Health Movement.
Editorial note: The Lancet Group takes a neutral position with respect to territorial claims in published text and institutional affiliations.

References
1.
Samarasekera, U
Petition calls for boycott of Israeli Medical Association
Lancet. 2026; 407, 2359
Full Text
Full Text (PDF)
Google Scholar
2.
UN
Security Council debates Israeli attacks on hospitals allegedly misused by Hamas, as UN rights chief urges independent probes
https://www.un.org/unispal/document/security-council-debates-israeli-attacks-on-hospitals-allegedly-misused-by-hamas-as-un-rights-chief-urges-independent-probes-press-release/
Date: Jan 3, 2025
Date accessed: June 26, 2026
Google Scholar
3.
UN
UN experts appalled by relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza's healthcare system
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/08/un-experts-appalled-relentless-israeli-attacks-gazas-healthcare-system
Date: Aug 13, 2025
Date accessed: June 26, 2026
Google Scholar

ESPAÑOL

My first month as executive director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel—and the preceding year and a half as Deputy Director of Programs—taught me about the broken and the whole, the fracture and the healing, in our work.

We operate in a state whose military and civil arms are invested in oppressing the Palestinian people, while much of Jewish society actively participates, condones it, or looks away. Against this backdrop lies a futile effort to carve out a 'democratic' sphere—where rights and equality can supposedly be debated—distinct from a sphere ruled by the logic of destruction and genocide.

Fragmentation runs deep. It is evident in the shattering of Palestinian space and the fracturing of their healthcare system, devastating a population that needs and is entitled to its medical institutions. It also manifests in the proliferation of legal "statuses" imposed on Palestinians, enabling the incarceration of thousands, including healthcare workers, without charge, while normalizing torture camps.

Fractures are widening within Israel proper as well. The state’s retreat from providing health insurance to all children without status builds a wall between kids in the very same preschool—some granted coverage and others stripped of that basic right based solely on their parents' origin. And under the same healthcare system, residents of neighboring towns receive starkly unequal medical care, both in quantity and quality, driven by structural disparities related to nationality and socioeconomic status.

The broken is in spatial fragmentation and in divide-and-conquer strategies that isolate issues and communities from one another. And PHRI’s mission is to restore the whole. It begins with recognizing that what happens anywhere in this space impacts the space as a whole. It means bridging the gap between a child with status and one without, and resisting the endless splintering of the Palestinian health system. Ultimately, our mission lies in insisting on a unified, continuous, and connected existence that fosters true solidarity and mutual responsibility. I could not have wished for a finer community to lead alongside—from our staff and board, to volunteers from across the health sector and beyond, to supporters who make our work possible.

Together, we hold the complete picture, of the broken and the whole. Striving for wholeness also means extending grace to one another across the PHRI community. Such grace allows us to navigate the devastating chasm between today's brokenness and a glimmer of wholeness and hold fast to its possibility—a reality in which supremacy is dismantled, justice is served, full individual and collective equality is practiced, and historical injustice is righted.

ESPAÑOL

Por Tirza Leibowitz

Mi primer mes como directora ejecutiva de Physicians for Human Rights Israel —y el año y medio anterior como directora adjunta de Programas— me enseñó sobre lo roto y lo entero, la fractura y la sanación, en nuestro trabajo.

Operamos en un Estado cuyos brazos militar y civil están invertidos en oprimir al pueblo palestino, mientras gran parte de la sociedad judía participa activamente, lo aprueba o mira para otro lado. Contra este telón de fondo yace un esfuerzo fútil por tallar una esfera "democrática" —donde supuestamente se pueden debatir derechos e igualdad— distinta de una esfera regida por la lógica de la destrucción y el genocidio. La fragmentación corre profunda.

Es evidente en la pulverización del espacio palestino y la fractura de su sistema de salud, devastando a una población que necesita y tiene derecho a sus instituciones médicas. También se manifiesta en la proliferación de "estatus" legales impuestos a los palestinos, que permiten la encarcelación de miles, incluidos trabajadores de la salud, sin cargos, mientras se normalizan campos de tortura.

Las fracturas también se ensanchan dentro de Israel propiamente dicho. El retroceso del Estado en proveer seguro de salud a todos los niños sin estatus construye un muro entre niños en el mismo jardín de infantes —a algunos se les otorga cobertura y a otros se les despoja de ese derecho básico únicamente por el origen de sus padres—.

Y bajo el mismo sistema de salud, residentes de pueblos vecinos reciben atención médica marcadamente desigual, tanto en cantidad como en calidad, impulsada por disparidades estructurales relacionadas con la nacionalidad y el estatus socioeconómico.

Lo roto está en la fragmentación espacial y en estrategias de dividir y conquistar que aíslan temas y comunidades unos de otros. Y la misión de PHRI es restaurar lo entero.

Comienza reconociendo que lo que sucede en cualquier lugar de este espacio impacta al espacio en su totalidad. Significa tender puentes entre un niño con estatus y uno sin él, y resistir la interminable astilladura del sistema de salud palestino.

En última instancia, nuestra misión radica en insistir en una existencia unificada, continua y conectada que fomente una verdadera solidaridad y responsabilidad mutua. No podría haber deseado una comunidad más fina para liderar junto a ella —desde nuestro personal y junta directiva, hasta voluntarios de todo el sector de la salud y más allá, hasta los partidarios que hacen posible nuestro trabajo—.

Juntos, sostenemos la imagen completa, de lo roto y lo entero. Luchar por la integridad también significa extender gracia unos a otros a través de la comunidad PHRI. Tal gracia nos permite navegar el devastador abismo entre la rotura de hoy y un destello de integridad, y aferrarnos firmemente a su posibilidad —una realidad en la que el supremacismo se desmantela, se sirve justicia, se practica la plena igualdad individual y colectiva, y se rectifica la injusticia histórica—.

Humanitarian Situation Report | 7 August 2026

Highlights

In the West Bank, demolitions displaced 22 people and affected over 100 others in one week. Since 2024, the monthly average of structures demolished in Area C and East Jerusalem has been at least twice the average recorded over the preceding 15 years.

Demolition proceedings affecting four schools in Area C, including the demolition of three school structures in Masafer Yatta, highlight broader risks to education. Overall, 84 schools serving nearly 13,000 students are subject to demolition orders.

The Israeli military issued orders extending movement restrictions in Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps until 20 August and 30 September, while more than 33,000 displaced Palestine refugees remain unable to return to their homes.

In Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains critical, amid intense military activity causing civilian casualties and hitting health and education infrastructure; overall structural damage continues to rise, a new assessment shows.
 
Since October 2023, partners have conducted 3,199 assessment missions across Gaza to identify and mark explosive hazards, while constantly informing civilians about the risks. Yet, they still lack authorization to move or safely dispose of these hazardous items.
A new nutrition survey finds maternal malnutrition, persistent stunting, and poor-quality diets among children.

Overview

Humanitarian needs across the Occupied Palestinian Territory remained severe. In Gaza, military activities, displacement, and damage to civilian infrastructure continued to deepen humanitarian needs. In the West Bank, operations by Israeli forces, settler attacks, demolitions and movement restrictions continued to drive displacement, undermine livelihoods and restrict access to essential services.

Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, civilians continued to face heightened protection risks, repeated displacement, damage to civilian infrastructure, and disruptions to essential services, including health care, education and water supply. Humanitarian partners continued to deliver life-saving assistance despite insecurity, movement restrictions and funding constraints, responding to growing needs through food, health, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), shelter, protection, education and other essential services.

More here

Photo Explosive ordnance disposal officers inspecting an agricultural field in Sheikh Ajleen area for potential hazards. Photo by UNMAS

ESPAÑOL

Israel expands extermination zone in Gaza. Israel kills without ceasing in Palestine.

Nora Barrows-Friedman 31 July 2026

Photo: Two Israeli airstrikes targeted homes in the Beach refugee camp, west of Gaza City on 30 July, causing extensive damage to nearby houses and displacement tent shelters. Bilal Osama APA images

Israel is continuing to expand its extermination zone in Gaza, as reporters and field researchers documented the so-called yellow line moving further westward yet again this week.

Israel is escalating its attacks on Palestinians as the so-called yellow line pushes west, expanding the death zone in Gaza; and as Israeli lynch mobs and soldiers enact pogroms in the occupied West Bank with impunity.

Israeli warplanes struck a tent sheltering displaced people in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis earlier in the morning on 30 July, according to local reports.

Two Palestinians, one of them a child, and several wounded individuals arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, medical sources told the Wafa news agency.

In a separate strike, Israel killed a child and wounded several others in an attack on a residential apartment in central Gaza. The victims were also transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.

Sources said that six Palestinians were wounded, one critically, when Israeli warplanes targeted an apartment building near al-Mamouniya School in the al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City.

On Wednesday evening, Israel killed two Palestinians in separate drone strikes, according to Wafa.

An Israeli drone targeted an intersection in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City, killing one and injuring several others, and medical sources at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis confirmed that one person was killed and others were injured in an Israeli drone strike in the al-Mawasi area.

Israel also carried out a strike on the Beach refugee camp west of Gaza City, destroying residential buildings. The Cradle posted a video of the enormous explosion on a family’s home.

At least one Palestinian was killed and 22 were wounded in an Israeli attack on a phone charging point in the middle of the Balata market in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on 28 July.

Israeli soldiers shot a man in the back in the northern city of Beit Lahiya, in an area close to the yellow line. Reporter Mahmoud Sobeh filmed paramedics attending to the victim and loading him into the ambulance.

The Anadolu news agency reported that Israeli military vehicles opened fire on a camp for displaced people east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, injuring three Palestinians. Five others were injured by Israeli military gunfire targeting a separate displacement camp west of Khan Younis.

Also on 28 July, Israel targeted the Dar al-Muttaqin mosque in Gaza City. Filmmaker Osama Al Ashi recorded the moment of the attack.

A correspondent for Anadolu reported that Israeli fighter jets struck the mosque, located near the YMCA in central Gaza City, completely destroying the building.

The strike also destroyed tents housing displaced families and caused extensive damage to nearby homes and civilian property.

According to Anadolu, hundreds of Palestinians were left without shelter following the attack, amid widespread destruction in the area.

Gaza’s Ministry of Endowments stated that almost all of Gaza’s 1,275 mosques have been either completely destroyed or damaged in the last nearly three years of Israel’s genocide.

On 27 July, Israel killed a Palestinian in a drone strike near the Hira mosque in the northern city of Jabaliya, and another person, identified as Muhammad Isleem, was killed south of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza in a separate strike.

Israel assassinated high-ranking civil police and security personnel over the weekend.

On 26 July, in a so-called double tap airstrike, Israel targeted the Director of the Internal Security Service in Gaza’s Central Governorate, 44-year-old Colonel Wael Mousa al-Ladawi, along with Major Ramez Tawfiq Abu Zureiq, 49, while they were driving in a car in Deir al-Balah.

This came just a day after Israel assassinated the police chief in the north Gaza governorate. Brigadier General Abdul Nasser Muhammad Al-Maqadma, 54, was killed in a targeted airstrike in Gaza.

ESPAÑOL

Gaza's dentists and patients suffer as Israel restricts flow of painkilling drugs
Palliatives, antibiotics, hand tools and batteries for instruments are confiscated under dual-use bans in communities bombed into poverty
Nagham Mohanna
April 15, 2026

In a small clinic in central Gaza, Amani Abu Badawi sat in a dentist’s chair, bracing herself for treatment without anaesthesia.

“I was forced to endure it,” she told The National, recalling how her decayed molars were treated without medication. “The pain is something no one can bear.”

Ms Abu Badawi, from Deir Al Balah, has lived with severe toothache for months, visiting clinic after clinic in search of relief. But dentists could offer only short-term fixes, such as painkillers.

Across Gaza, dental care is collapsing despite six months of ceasefire after two years of war in which much of the territory was devastated by Israeli bombardment.

“The profession is facing very serious challenges,” Dr Arafat Ashtaywi, head of the Dentists’ Syndicate in Gaza, told The National.

Clinics are running out of anaesthesia, fillings and materials needed for root canal procedures, limiting the treatment they can offer.

“We are forced to extract teeth that could have been saved,” Dr Ashtaywi said.

In some cases, dentists’ equipment is not properly sterilised because of fuel and electricity shortages.

The result is that even minor dental problems can quickly escalate into irreversible damage.

For patients, the crisis is not only about the availability of proper treatment but also affordability.

Before the war, a simple filling cost about 100 shekels ($33). Today, it can exceed 400 shekels, if materials are available at all.

For families struggling to survive, these costs are out of reach.

“Many people are living in tents and have lost everything,” said Osama Al Shanti, a dentist who has continued his practice despite the challenges. “They cannot afford treatment, so they stay in pain until they lose their teeth.”

The problem begins long before patients reach the dentist’s chair.

Dr Ahmed Sardah, who now operates a small lab after his clinic was destroyed, says the crisis in a lack of raw materials.

“The occupation prevents the entry of essential supplies under the pretext of dual-use,” he said, referring to Israel's policy of banning items that it deems could be repurposed for military use.

Materials such as acrylic, zircon, wax and gypsum, necessary for fillings and prosthetics, are either unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

Prices for supplies have increased fivefold, while attempts to produce materials locally have failed due to lack of equipment.

Electricity shortages have made matters worse.

“Dental labs need power to function,” Dr Sardah said. “But electricity is rarely available.”

He said hundreds of clinics were destroyed during the war, while others have closed due to a lack of equipment and supplies.

“Our work could stop at any moment,” Dr Al Shanti said. “We are continuing with great difficulty.”

Meanwhile, poor nutrition, lack of hygiene, and harsh living conditions in displacement camps have led to a surge in dental diseases.

“People are resorting to primitive methods to relieve pain,” Dr Ashtaywi says. “But these methods often make things worse.”

Ms Abu Badawi said she was still in pain, waiting for a solution that may not come soon.

“I am still suffering,” she said. “I am just waiting for things to improve, for supplies to be allowed in.”

She paused, then added: “The right to treatment is a basic right. But no one is holding anyone accountable.”

ESPAÑOL

Gaza’s Blood Banks Run Dry. A Health System on the Brink of Collapse
June 27, 2026

Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system is facing another life-threatening crisis as blood banks and medical laboratories run dangerously low on essential supplies. Health workers warn that if border crossings remain closed and medical shipments continue to be blocked, hospitals across the Gaza Strip could lose the ability to provide even basic emergency care, putting thousands of patients, injured civilians, and those with chronic illnesses at immediate risk.

The prolonged restrictions on medical imports have pushed laboratories and blood banks toward collapse, leaving hospitals without critical materials needed for blood testing, disease monitoring, emergency surgeries, and life-saving treatments.

Healthcare workers say Gaza’s hospitals are suffering from severe shortages of blood collection bags, laboratory testing materials, chemical reagents, platelet and plasma separation supplies, and basic equipment required to process blood samples.

As the number of wounded patients continues to rise and hospitals perform daily emergency surgeries, doctors warn that the remaining blood reserves are being rapidly exhausted.

Blood Banks Near Empty as Hospitals Struggle to Save Lives

Palestinian health authorities say that approximately 86 percent of essential supplies needed by laboratories and blood banks have reached zero stock levels due to continued consumption and the inability to replenish supplies.

Medical teams are also facing additional threats from electricity shortages and fuel restrictions, which endanger the operation of refrigeration systems needed to preserve blood units and laboratory samples.

Without stable electricity and equipment maintenance, hospitals risk losing blood supplies and being unable to perform accurate medical tests required for diagnosing illnesses and monitoring patients.

Those most vulnerable include cancer patients, people suffering from kidney failure, pregnant women, premature infants, and patients with chronic diseases who depend on regular laboratory testing to survive.

Laboratory Supplies Running Out Across Gaza

Sahar Ghanem, director of the Laboratory and Blood Bank Department at Gaza’s Ministry of Health, said shortages have reached unprecedented levels after months of pressure caused by the ongoing war.

She explained that laboratory testing materials are currently facing an estimated 87 percent shortage, while supplies needed for collecting samples and conducting tests are facing a shortage of around 76 percent.

Among the most critical shortages is the lack of materials needed for complete blood count tests (CBC), one of the most essential medical examinations used in emergency departments, operating rooms, maternity wards, and other hospital units.

Ghanem warned that supplies needed for diabetes testing, kidney function tests, liver enzyme analysis, and other vital examinations are also close to running out.

She added that blood gas testing supplies, which are essential for intensive care patients, emergency cases, and premature babies in neonatal units, have already reached zero stock levels in many facilities.

Doctors Forced to Work Without Reliable Tests

The shortage has reached the point where hospitals are struggling to obtain even basic blood collection tubes.

Medical teams have been forced to use unsuitable alternatives that do not provide the accuracy required for safe diagnosis and treatment.

Ghanem warned that materials required for blood transfusions and compatibility testing before patients receive blood units are also nearly exhausted.

Without urgent intervention, she said, blood bank services across Gaza could completely stop within weeks.

Many specialized medical tests have already been suspended since the beginning of the war, including tests needed for organ transplant patients, kidney transplant monitoring, hormone-related conditions, and medication level monitoring for patients suffering from seizures.

The Ministry of Health warns that continued shortages could lead to the complete shutdown of laboratory services in hospitals and primary healthcare centers.

Destroyed Infrastructure and Missing Equipment Deepen the Crisis

The collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system has also been worsened by the destruction of medical facilities and the lack of replacement parts.

The Ministry of Health says that around 53 percent of laboratory equipment has been lost due to attacks on healthcare facilities, while many remaining machines are damaged or unusable because spare parts cannot enter Gaza.

Medical technicians are unable to repair broken equipment, leaving hospitals dependent on a shrinking number of functioning laboratories.

The Ministry has repeatedly appealed to international organizations and UN agencies to urgently facilitate the entry of laboratory supplies and medical equipment.

Doctors say they are increasingly struggling to provide blood units for emergency patients, sometimes forcing hospitals to delay surgeries or rely on direct blood donations from patients’ relatives.

Patients Fear Losing Access to Life-Saving Treatment

For patients with chronic illnesses, the shortage has created constant fear and uncertainty.

Saeed Hamid, a 52-year-old kidney failure patient, says his ability to monitor his condition has been severely affected because many routine blood tests are no longer available.

Before the crisis, he underwent weekly blood and electrolyte tests before dialysis sessions. Now, many of these examinations are delayed because laboratories lack the necessary supplies.

“Doctors are increasingly forced to rely on estimates instead of accurate laboratory results,” he said, warning that any delay or mistake could lead to dangerous complications.

“For kidney patients, regular monitoring is not optional. Without these tests, treatment becomes incomplete and unsafe.”

Wounded Patients Face Another Battle

The shortage of blood supplies has also become a major threat for thousands of people injured during the war.

Alaa Al-Salmi, 27, who was wounded by shrapnel and underwent several surgeries, said the shortage of blood has become a direct threat to his survival.

“Doctors repeatedly told me that the hospital was suffering from a severe shortage of blood units, especially because of the large number of injured patients,” he said.

He described how his family sometimes searched for hours to find blood donors so he could continue receiving treatment.

“Every time I need another surgery or blood transfusion, I feel afraid because the available quantities are extremely limited while the number of wounded people continues to rise.”
‏A Healthcare System Fighting to Survive

With supply chains disrupted, medical equipment damaged, and essential materials blocked from entering Gaza, hospitals are operating under conditions described by health workers as unsustainable.

Doctors warn that the crisis is no longer only about treating injuries from war. It is now about maintaining the basic ability to diagnose illnesses, perform surgeries, provide blood transfusions, and keep patients alive.

As Gaza’s hospitals continue to struggle with shortages, health workers say urgent international action is needed to prevent a complete collapse of the medical system and protect thousands of patients whose lives depend on supplies that are rapidly disappearing.

ESPAÑOL