Gulsen Topcu
September 20, 2024•Update: September 20, 2024
GAZA
The ongoing deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza have left a devastating impact on the health infrastructure, especially in the northern part of the region.
After 350 days of continuous bombardment, the central blood bank affiliated with Al-Shifa Hospital was destroyed, making it nearly impossible to meet the urgent blood needs of the wounded and ill Palestinians.
Compounding this crisis, the widespread hunger gripping the region means that even those willing to donate blood are unable to do so due to malnutrition.
According to the UN July report titled The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024, every resident of Gaza is suffering from severe food insecurity.
This crisis is most acute in the northern areas, where people are so undernourished that they are unable to donate blood.
The destruction of Al-Shifa's blood bank has led to severe shortages, leaving the wounded and those with chronic illnesses facing the risk of death due to a lack of blood.
In an attempt to alleviate the crisis, a blood laboratory has been established at Sahaba Hospital in Gaza City. Here, donations are collected for those in need. However, the shortage of blood donors in the north, where many people are too weak from hunger to donate, remains a significant challenge.
Impact of widespread hunger on blood donations
Rami Abu Sidu, an expert at the new blood lab, explained that after Al-Shifa Hospital’s blood bank was rendered inoperative by Israeli airstrikes, they set up the facility to provide blood for the injured and ill.
"We collect between 20 and 30 units of blood daily," he said. "But compared to the number of wounded brought to hospitals in northern Gaza – such as the Indonesian Hospital, Kamal Adwan, and Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital – this is a very small amount.
The lab here can only provide about 10% of what the blood bank at Al-Shifa used to supply. Al-Shifa served as a lifeline for five to six hospitals in the north, providing blood, platelets, and plasma," Abu Sidu added.
He noted that the new lab operates with minimal equipment and resources. "We lack crucial medical equipment like blood donation chairs and refrigerators for storage," he added, underscoring the immense challenges they face.
He also highlighted the impact of widespread hunger on blood donations. "Donors come to us in a weakened state because they haven’t been eating properly. Most of them experience dizziness after giving blood due to the severe malnutrition in northern Gaza."
Chronic patients, including those with leukemia and kidney diseases, urgently need blood on a weekly basis.
"The donations we receive don’t come close to meeting the demand. We currently have 100 units of blood in storage, but we need at least 500 to 600 units to cover the ongoing needs," Abu Sidu concluded.
As the Israeli bombardment continues and food shortages worsen, the already critical blood supply situation in Gaza teeters on the brink of collapse, leaving its population even more vulnerable.
Israel has continued a brutal offensive on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and more than 95,500 injured, according to local health authorities.
The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
