Personal sanitario y salud en Palestina

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

Palestinians forced out of their homes and communities by Israeli settler-terrorist violence in the occupied West Bank face poverty, insecurity, uncertainty and little prospect of returning home, says a new report by the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC).

According to the report, 86 percent of displaced families said their living conditions are worse than before displacement, with the findings showing displacement is not a one-off event but one phase of a protracted crisis.

Families continue to face threats of eviction, loss of livelihoods, inadequate housing and restricted access to essential services after displacement, it said, adding half of households reported they believed that they were at risk of being re-displaced within the next six months.

Three-quarters of families said they could no longer earn enough to meet basic needs, mainly because Israeli authorities and settlers-terrorists, or both, blocked access to their land or livestock.

“With the loss of land families are not only losing their homes and communities. They are losing the livelihoods that kept them alive,” said WBPC Chief of Party Allegra Pacheco.

“Displacement means families can no longer farm their land, graze their livestock, or earn the income they need to survive.”

Only six per cent of households said they expect to return to their land within the next year, with most citing continued settler-terrorist violence and harassment, alongside blocked access to land or property, as the reasons they cannot go back. 

“Under international law - and even according to several Israeli Supreme Court decisions – Palestinians displaced from Area C should be able return to their communities, but they cannot as long as the settler[-terrorist] violence continues.

To ensure effective protection for Palestinian communities, Israeli authorities must prevent and stop settler[terrorist] violence, including barring settlers-terrorists from entering Palestinian residential and agricultural areas," said Pacheco. “Forcible transfer is a grave breach – one of the most serious violations of international humanitarian law. The Israeli government must also cease all policies and practices that contribute to forcible transfer and immediately facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians.”  

The report also warns that support for displaced families is falling far short. Many received assistance immediately after being forced from their homes, but most said it covered only part of what they needed. As displacement drags on, families urgently need livelihood support, safe shelter, water, electricity and protection services. Without sustained funding, families already forced from their homes are being pushed deeper into poverty and insecurity. 

“Forced displacement is protracted and increasing in the West Bank. It must not become a permanent reality for Palestinians,” said Pacheco. “The international community must take concrete steps to hold Israel accountable and stop the drivers of displacement. Without meaningful action, more communities will be uprooted, and those already displaced will see any real prospect of return slip further away.” 

ESPAÑOL

Palestinian women face “catastrophic” conditions at Damon prison

Tuesday 23-June-2026

Palestinian women held at Israel’s Damon prison are enduring “catastrophic” conditions marked by severe overcrowding, deliberate medical neglect and the denial of basic rights, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said on Tuesday.

In a statement, the commission said one of its lawyers had documented the prisoners’ health and living conditions during a visit to the facility.

Damon prison currently holds 87 Palestinian women, including three from Gaza, while administrative detainees, those imprisoned without charge or trial, account for around one-third of the total.

According to the commission, several detainees suffer from serious health conditions requiring immediate treatment and specialized medical care, but prison authorities continue to deny them appropriate treatment as part of a policy of deliberate medical neglect.

Pregnant detainees are also being held in extremely harsh humanitarian and health conditions, without adequate medical supervision or the basic necessities required to protect their health and that of their unborn children.

The commission said prison cells are severely overcrowded. More than 10 women are held in larger rooms, while at least five are confined in smaller cells despite the limited space and unsuitable conditions.

The detainees also endure extreme heat and inadequate ventilation. Prison authorities allow the women only one hour a day to use the exercise yard and shower, the commission added.

They also suffer from poor-quality food and severe shortages of clothing, personal belongings and essential hygiene products for women.

The commission renewed its call on international and local human rights and women’s organizations to intervene urgently and pressure Israeli authorities to end violations against Palestinian women prisoners.

It also called for an end to policies of isolation, abuse and medical neglect inside Israeli prisons.

Pregnant detainees

In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner Society held the Israeli authorities fully responsible for the fate of Amina al-Taweel, Dana Jouda and Manar Ibrahim, saying they are among 93 Palestinian women held in Israeli prisons, most of them at Damon Prison in northern occupied Palestine.

“The women are being held under severe conditions and in unprecedented isolation, with the International Committee of the Red Cross still barred from visiting prisoners since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza,” the group said.

“Their families are also denied visits, like all Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons,” it added, Anadolu reported.

Al-Taweel, 37, from Qalqilya, is four months pregnant. She is a mother of four and the wife of a former prisoner who spent a total of 19 years in Israeli prisons. Israeli forces arrested her March 18, 2026.

Jouda, 35, from Nablus, is a mother of one and five months pregnant. She has been detained since April 18, 2026, and was placed under arbitrary administrative detention for six months, the group said.

Ibrahim, 28, from Ramallah, is a mother of two and four months pregnant. She was arrested April 30, 2026, and remains detained over what Israel claims was “incitement” on social media, according to the statement.

ESPAÑOL

Las mujeres palestinas enfrentan condiciones “catastróficas” en la prisión de Damon

Martes, 23 de junio de 2026

Las mujeres palestinas recluidas en la prisión israelí de Damon sufren condiciones “catastróficas”, caracterizadas por un hacinamiento extremo, negligencia médica deliberada y la negación de derechos básicos, según declaró el martes la Comisión Palestina de Asuntos de Detenidos y Exdetenidos.

En un comunicado, la comisión indicó que uno de sus abogados documentó la salud y las condiciones de vida de las reclusas durante una visita al centro penitenciario. Actualmente, la prisión de Damon alberga a 87 mujeres palestinas, incluidas tres de Gaza, mientras que las detenidas administrativas, es decir, aquellas encarceladas sin cargos ni juicio, representan aproximadamente un tercio del total.

Según la comisión, varias detenidas padecen graves problemas de salud que requieren tratamiento inmediato y atención médica especializada, pero las autoridades penitenciarias continúan negándoles el tratamiento adecuado como parte de una política de negligencia médica deliberada.

Las mujeres embarazadas detenidas también se encuentran en condiciones humanitarias y sanitarias extremadamente precarias, sin la supervisión médica adecuada ni los recursos básicos necesarios para proteger su salud y la de sus hijos por nacer.

La comisión afirmó que las celdas están gravemente superpobladas. Más de diez mujeres comparten celdas grandes, mientras que al menos cinco están confinadas en celdas más pequeñas, a pesar del espacio limitado y las condiciones inadecuadas. Las detenidas también sufren calor extremo y ventilación insuficiente. Las autoridades penitenciarias les permiten usar el patio de ejercicios y las duchas solo una hora al día, añadió la comisión.

Además, padecen alimentación deficiente y una grave escasez de ropa, artículos personales y productos de higiene esenciales para mujeres.

La comisión reiteró su llamamiento a las organizaciones internacionales y locales de derechos humanos y de mujeres para que intervengan urgentemente y presionen a las autoridades israelíes para que pongan fin a las violaciones contra las mujeres palestinas encarceladas.

Asimismo, exigió el fin de las políticas de aislamiento, abuso y negligencia médica en las cárceles israelíes.

Prisioneras embarazadas

En un comunicado, la Sociedad de Presos Palestinos responsabilizó plenamente a las autoridades israelíes por el destino de Amina al-Taweel, Dana Jouda y Manar Ibrahim, afirmando que se encuentran entre las 93 mujeres palestinas recluidas en prisiones israelíes, la mayoría de ellas en la prisión de Damon, en el norte de la Palestina ocupada.

“Las mujeres se encuentran recluidas en condiciones extremas y en un aislamiento sin precedentes, y el Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja sigue sin poder visitarlas desde el inicio de la guerra de Israel en Gaza”, declaró la organización.

“A sus familias también se les niegan las visitas, al igual que a todos los presos palestinos en cárceles israelíes”, añadió, según informó Anadolu. Al-Taweel, de 37 años y originaria de Qalqilya, tiene cuatro meses de embarazo. Es madre de cuatro hijos y esposa de un ex prisionero que pasó un total de 19 años en cárceles israelíes. Las fuerzas israelíes la arrestaron el 18 de marzo de 2026.

Jouda, de 35 años y originaria de Nablus, es madre de un hijo y tiene cinco meses de embarazo. Permanece detenida desde el 18 de abril de 2026 y fue sometida a detención administrativa arbitraria durante seis meses, según la organización.

Ibrahim, de 28 años y originaria de Ramala, es madre de dos hijos y tiene cuatro meses de embarazo. Fue arrestada el 30 de abril de 2026 y permanece detenida por lo que Israel alega que fue "incitación" en redes sociales, según el comunicado. 

Surviving childhood under occupation - The catastrophic harm facing Palestinian children 12 Jun 2026 

Israeli violence is subjecting Palestinian children to catastrophic levels of harm: killed, maimed, displaced, and living in perpetual insecurity.

On Saturday, 6 June 2026, Israeli security forces shot and killed 7-month-old Sam Fahed Abu Haykal in his parents’ car near a Hebron checkpoint. The bullet appears to have passed through Sam’s head and injured both his parents. Video footage analysed by an Israeli human rights organisation shows a member of the Israeli security forces shooting at the car as it was slowing down, posing no threat, and clearly indicates that he provided no aid to the family afterwards.

Sam is one of 241 children killed by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since 7 October 2023, as verified by the UN Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR OPT). This is in addition to over 21,000 children who have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza in the same period, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, with killings continuing after the announcement of a ceasefire in October 2025.

Since the ceasefire announcement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has reported the killing of 981 Palestinians in Israeli attacks in Gaza. OHCHR OPT has so far verified the killing of 574 Palestinians during this period, including 183 children, five of whom were infants under the age of one.

On 4 February 2026, Israeli forces opened fire on an encampment for displaced people in Al Tuffah, Gaza City, killing five Palestinians, including two women and two baby girls: 5-month-old Mira Al Khabbaz and Watein Al Khabbaz, born less than a week before.

Forty-eight of the 183 verified child fatalities after the ceasefire announcement were victims of incidents in which only children were killed, raising concerns about Israeli forces directly targeting Palestinian children. Fifteen women have also been killed in incidents in which only women, or only women and children, were killed.

On 29 October 2025, an Israeli airstrike hit a tent housing displaced people in Al Mawasi, Khan Younis, and killed three Palestinians: two brothers aged eight and 11, and their 15-year-old sister. On 31 January 2026, an Israeli strike hit a residential building in western Gaza City, killing two women aged 60 and 23, and three sisters aged five, seven and nine. On 2 February 2026, Israeli Naval Forces killed one Palestinian, a 2-year-old boy, in his tent on the coast of Al Mawasi, Khan Younis.

In the West Bank, the 241 verified child fatalities represent nearly one in five of the 1,103 Palestinian victims killed by Israeli security forces and settlers since 7 October 2023.

In March 2026, three months before the shooting that killed 7-month-old Sam in Hebron, a similar attack in Tammun, south of Tubas, killed four family members in their car. At the time, Israeli security forces opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle, killing a father, Ali Bani Odeh, a mother, Wa’ad Bani Odeh, and their 5- and 6-year-old sons, Mohammad and Othman. Two children survived the shooting, aged eight and 11, but later reported that they were assaulted by Israeli security forces when they left the car.

Most of the children killed in the West Bank are teenage boys, 213 out of 241. In many cases, subsequent statements by Israeli authorities accuse the children of having engaged in stone-throwing as a justification. In all OHCHR OPT-verified killings of minors involved in confrontations with Israeli security forces, our assessment is that none posed an imminent threat to life —the only legal justification for the use of lethal force in the occupied West Bank under international law. Where less harmful means were available, such lethal force may constitute an arbitrary deprivation of life and, in the context of occupation, may amount to willful killing, a war crime.

On 20 December 2025, a member of Israeli security forces hiding behind a wall shot and killed 16-year-old Rayan Abu Mulla in Qabatiya, south of Jenin, on his way home. An official Israeli statement claimed Rayan was throwing stones. However, according to witnesses and CCTV footage, he was walking empty-handed. Israeli security forces also prevented ambulances from assisting Rayan. They then took his body away and refused to hand it over for burial.

OHCHR OPT’s analysis demonstrates a pattern of Israeli security forces preventing medical assistance to injured Palestinians and withholding bodies, including those of children.

ESPAÑOL

By Dr. Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui

Blonde-haired, blue-eyed white people from Ukraine were celebrated for making home-made Molotov cocktails to defend their land, but the brown Arab Muslim, the Iranian, the Afghan, the Palestinian, is far too “uncivilised” to have the right to resist.

Their resistance is “barbaric” because it comes from an inherently “violent” culture.

The selective application of international law and one’s right to defend themselves from illegal occupation and colonial violence has been revealed to be a complete contradiction in the west, and is no doubt infuriating.

But we need to also understand how these “resistance” narratives are processed in communities. These narratives do not stay on our screens.

They shape how entire communities see themselves.

When Indigenous, Black, and other racialised peoples repeatedly see their histories, struggles, cultures, and resistance framed as dangerous, irrational, or inherently violent, many begin to internalise those messages.

Some distance themselves from their own identities in search of safety, acceptance, or legitimacy. Others carry a deep, unspoken rage born from exclusion, dispossession, and the constant demand to prove their humanity.

When people are disconnected from their roots, denied dignity, and taught to be ashamed of where they come from, they will still search for belonging. It’s a basic human need to feel a sense of community.

The question is whether we create spaces that nurture healing, identity, and justice, or leave them vulnerable to finding belonging in places that exploit their pain.

ESPAÑOL

La legitimidad de la resistencia según el color de quien resiste

Las personas blancas de cabello rubio y ojos azules de Ucrania fueron celebradas por fabricar cócteles Molotov caseros para defender su tierra, pero el árabe musulmán moreno, el iraní, el afgano, el palestino, está demasiado “incivilizado” para tener el derecho a resistir.

Su resistencia es “bárbara” porque proviene de una cultura inherentemente “violenta”.

La aplicación selectiva del derecho internacional y del derecho de uno a defenderse de la ocupación ilegal y la violencia colonial ha resultado ser una contradicción total en Occidente, y sin duda es exasperante.

Pero también necesitamos entender cómo se procesan estas narrativas de “resistencia” en las comunidades. Estas narrativas no se quedan en nuestras pantallas. Moldean la forma en que comunidades enteras se ven a sí mismas.

Cuando los pueblos indígenas, negros y otras personas racializadas ven repetidamente sus historias, luchas, culturas y resistencias enmarcadas como peligrosas, irracionales o inherentemente violentas, muchos comienzan a interiorizar esos mensajes.

Algunos se distancian de sus propias identidades en busca de seguridad, aceptación o legitimidad. Otros llevan una profunda e inexpresada rabia nacida de la exclusión, el despojo y la constante demanda de probar su humanidad.

Cuando las personas se desconectan de sus raíces, se les niega la dignidad y se les enseña a avergonzarse de de dónde vienen, aún así buscarán pertenencia.

Es una necesidad humana básica sentir un sentido de comunidad. La pregunta es si creamos espacios que nutran la sanación, la identidad y la justicia, o los dejamos vulnerables a encontrar pertenencia en lugares que explotan su dolor.