The QRCS appeals for urgent pharmaceutical support as over 29,800 Palestinians – 70% children and women – are at risk of death due to depleted medical supplies in Gaza.
The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has urged pharmaceutical companies to step up and provide essential medicines for the thousands of wounded Palestinians in Gaza who are currently at risk of dying.
The total number of injured stands at 29,800, with approximately 70 percent being children and women, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.
“Thousands of wounded people in Gaza need treatment. As medicines & medical consumables run out, they are at risk of death,” said the QRCS on X.
The QRCS released a list of medicines and consumables that have completely depleted, emphasising the imminent danger faced by many injured Palestinians if immediate action was not taken.
“Take action & save their lives,” the statement urged, including a contact number for pharmacies and companies concerned to get in touch.
As Israel’s relentless war on Gaza enters its 41st day, the death toll in Gaza rose to over 11,500 Palestinians, including 4,710 children, according to the government media office in Gaza.
“The number of deaths among medical personnel has reached 200,” the media office said in a statement on Telegram on Wednesday.
A separate statement on Wednesday from the Gaza media office indicated that the Israeli military focused its attacks on 52 healthcare facilities and 55 ambulances, resulting in 25 hospitals becoming non-operational.
“Israeli soldiers attacked many patients, wounded individuals, and displaced people, as well as several medical and nursing staff inside Al-Shifa Medical Complex, forcing them to undress and subjecting them to insults,” the statement noted.
An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people have sought refuge within the confines of Al-Shifa Hospital complex and at least 1,000 medical workers based there, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
From the start of the Israeli war in Gaza on October 7 until October 20, an estimated 2,100 commercial trucks were expected to have entered Gaza via the Rafah border crossing, yet none managed to do so.
Following the reopening of the Rafah border for humanitarian cargo on October 21, the daily average of confirmed truck crossings has been less than 30 percent of the typical daily average for Rafah alone and less than 10 percent of the normal daily average for all crossing points, the Relief Web said in its latest report on 14 November.
Only one of the 24 hospitals with in-patient capacity in the northern part of Gaza are still operational, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
On Wednesday, Israel raided the largest hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa, and transformed it into a “military barracks,” rendering it non-functional, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.
Gaza health officials have been forced to suspend operations in numerous hospitals, worsening the already dire humanitarian situation.
The Al-Shifa hospital complex, the largest in the region, has ceased operations due to a fuel shortage. Earlier this week, Israel claimed that it had offered to provide fuel to hospitals.
“Israel’s claims that we refused to receive fuel are misleading and have no basis. The medical staff at Al-Shifa live on water and dates,” the Gaza health ministry said.
Thousands of civilians displaced by the war on Gaza have sought refuge within the confines of Al-Shifa Hospital.
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) invaded the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza overnight on Wednesday, where thousands have taken shelter and are receiving life-saving treatment, including 36 premature babies.
Around 700 patients, with around 100 in critical condition, are currently seeking shelter at the hospital, according to Dr Ahmed El Mokhallalati, a surgeon inside the facility.
The dangerous development occurred following weeks of Israeli threats to target Al-Shifa, Gaza’s biggest hospital, over allegations that it is being used by Hamas fighters as a hiding place and command centre.
Israeli forces have reportedly carried out room-by-room raids and have asked all patients to leave as they comb the facility.
There is no indication that any of the 200 individuals taken captive during Hamas’ attack on October 7 are held at Al-Shifa Hospital.
Israel’s military radio also confirmed there are “no signs of Israeli hostages at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after military entered facility”.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said “no evidence put forward would justify depriving hospitals and ambulances of their protected status under international humanitarian law.”
Earlier this week on 11 November, Al-Shifa also ran out of fuel, leaving it without electricity, as well as food and water.
On Tuesday, medical personnel at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza expressed grave concern over the fate of 36 premature babies as the lack of established methods for their relocation persists.
With Gaza’s largest hospital running out of fuel over the weekend, the generators sustaining the incubators for the original 39 premature babies failed, resulting in the tragic death of three.
The 36 babies, weighing under 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) with some as small as 700 to 800 grams, are currently placed next to each other on regular beds, the staff said as reported by Reuters.
This arrangement leaves them vulnerable to infections and lacks the individual adjustments needed for humidity levels and temperatures, the hospital staff said, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, the occupying state has intensified attacks against health facilities and medics on the ground have confirmed Israeli tanks and soldiers have been shooting at civilians attempting to flee hospitals, despite carrying white flags.
On Sunday, a harrowing Al Jazeera Mubasher report cited the director of the Ministry of Health in Gaza saying: “Dogs entered Al-Shifa Hospital and mauled the bodies of the deceased.”
“The hospital turned into a large morgue and more than 100 bodies were dumped on the ground,” the ministry added.
Winter adds new layer of suffering
Meanwhile, a heavy downpour in Gaza following six weeks of war has added new challenges for thousands who have lost their homes. The rainy season has raised fears of flooding, particularly concerning the damaged sewage system, which could lead to the spread of disease.
An estimated 1.5 million individuals in Gaza are believed to have been displaced internally, with approximately 813,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking refuge in at least 154 UNRWA shelters.
The UNRWA shelters are currently hosting a significantly higher number of individuals than their original capacity was designed to accommodate.
Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed grave concerns about the potential impact, citing an alarming increase in diarrhoeal diseases.
“We’re very concerned. We’ve already got outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases. We’ve already recorded well over 30,000 cases when we would normally expect 2,000 cases in the same period,” said Harris, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that the start of the rainy season could mark “the most difficult week in Gaza” since the war on Gaza began, with aid agencies struggling to address daily needs and plan for potential flooding.
As rains battered the besieged enclave, video footage shared by Al Jazeera showed UN school tents in Rafah in south Gaza flooding. Belongings were stacked high to keep them dry.
One man at a UN shelter pleaded for immediate action, which comes atop an existent struggle with a lack of food, water, electricity, and other necessities. “If our children do not die from war, they will die from the cold of winter and hunger,” he told Al Jazeera.
