The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that more than 5,600 sick children have been granted permission to leave the Strip for treatment, while 22,000 critical cases remain stranded awaiting travel, amid a near-total collapse of the health system after two years of Israel’s genocide and tight blockade.

Gaza’s sick and injured children: trapped by Israel

The ministry added in a statement issued on Monday that 5,000 cancer patients are at risk of death due to a severe shortage of medicines and the breakdown of medical equipment, while hundreds of pending surgical cases still require urgent operations that cannot be performed within the Strip.

Official data indicate that 30% of those wounded in Israel’s genocide are children, and that one in five children under the age of five suffers from severe malnutrition as a result of restrictions on the entry of food and medical aid.

According to the Ministry of Health, Israeli bombing has left more than 56,000 children orphaned since the start of the war, most of whom live in temporary shelters lacking clean water and basic healthcare, while psychological and social support programmes have been suspended due to the destruction of centres and hospitals.

The United Nations says that the health sector in Gaza is operating at less than 20% of its capacity, after dozens of medical facilities were targeted, warehouses were destroyed, and fuel needed to run generators was blocked from entering.

The Ministry of Health has called on the international community to pressure Israel to open the crossings and allow medical aid to enter without restrictions, stressing that the continued blockade is a ‘death sentence for thousands’ and that what is happening in Gaza is a ‘true test of the world’s conscience.’

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.