Kidney patients in Gaza demand treatment abroad amid drug shortage, Israeli assault

Dozens of kidney patients held a protest Saturday in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, demanding travel abroad for treatment amid a drug shortage and Israeli assaults.

Kidney patients at the protest appeared extremely exhausted, with some sitting in wheelchairs as they were unable to stand, an Anadolu correspondent reported.

They held up signs that said their lives and the lives of their children need to be saved, chanting slogans, appealing to the world to end their suffering and allow them to travel for treatment.

During the demonstration, participants chanted angry slogans, demanding the opening of crossings and an end to the Israeli blockade, emphasizing that the continuation of the situation directly threatens their lives.

- WAITING FOR DEATH

Speaking on behalf of participants, patient Omar al-Banna told Anadolu that "Thousands of patients have been waiting for months for the opportunity to travel."

He said that he has been registered for two years to receive a medical referral, but to no avail.

"The Rafah crossing (in the south) opens and closes irregularly, and we await death day after day", he said.

Al-Banna stressed that the decline in medical referrals and lack of resources in Gaza, due to the Israeli blockade, have exacerbated the crisis.

He pointed out that kidney patients are "among the most marginalized groups, despite their dire need for continuous and regular treatment."

Faced with the tragic reality, Al-Banna issued a desperate plea: "Enough of this war and suffering! We can't even walk or continue treatment. We just want to live like other patients around the world."

He appealed to Arab countries for "urgent intervention to facilitate the travel of patients and their admission for treatment, given the lack of options within the Gaza Strip due to the repercussions of the Israeli assaults."

- CLOSURE OF CROSSING

Ilham Al-Khatib, another patient, told Anadolu, "Kidney patients face the risk of death on daily basis, and a large percentage of them have lost their lives recently due to the lack of treatment and delays in travel."

"We have been waiting for years for a treatment chance, but we are met with the closure of the crossing (by Israel) and the suspension of referrals, while our condition deteriorates day by day," added Al-Khatib.

Patient Suhad Ali also spoke about her struggles in caring for her children while battling illness.

Suhad confirmed that she lost her home in an Israeli bombing and suffers from a severe shortage of medicine and food, which exacerbates her already dire health and humanitarian situation.

Despite the ceasefire agreement in Gaza that has been in effect since Oct. 10, Israel has failed to adhere to the humanitarian protocol concerning the movement of patients and the wounded seeking treatment abroad, allowing only meager amounts of new humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.

The agreement followed a genocidal war waged by Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, during which it destroyed most of Gaza's hospitals, killed, injured and arrested medical personnel, and imposed a blockade on the Palestinians, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the Strip, particularly in the health sector.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, at least 738 Palestinians have been killed and 2,036 injured in near-daily Israeli attacks in violation of the ceasefire in place since October.

The ceasefire followed more than two years of a genocidal war that has killed over 72,000 Palestinians, wounded more than 172,000, and devastated about 90% of the enclave's infrastructure.