UN says over 40% of Gaza's dialysis patients dead as Israeli strikes hit health centers

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN on Monday said more than 40% of dialysis patients in Gaza have died since October 2023 due to Israeli attacks on health facilities or lack of access as ongoing hostilities and displacement deepen the humanitarian crisis.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric during a news conference reported that "scores of people killed and injured, apparently while gathering to receive supplies near militarized distribution centers in Rafah and Deir al Balah."

Dujarric said the continued Israeli strikes on health infrastructure, adding that the Noura Al Kaabi Centre for dialysis in North Gaza was hit on Sunday.

"The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that more than 40% of dialysis patients in Gaza have died since the escalation of the hostilities in October 2023. This is because the centers were either struck or unreachable," he said.

Warning of growing displacement across the enclave, Dujarric said: "On Saturday, Israeli authorities issued another displacement order in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah. This has affected about 100,000 people living in more than 200 displacement sites."

"Overall, since 18 March, humanitarian partners estimate that more than 640,000 people -- nearly a third of Gaza's entire population -- have been displaced again across the Strip," he added.

While more than 300 truckloads of aid have been picked up from the Gaza side of Kareem Shalom crossing since it was reopened, access remains inconsistent.

"Today, one of our attempts to collect supplies from Kareem Shalom was denied," Dujarric said.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.