The United Nations reported on Monday that over 40% of dialysis patients in Gaza have died since October 2023, due to Israeli attacks on medical facilities and limited access to treatment amid the ongoing conflict.
During a news briefing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that numerous people were killed or injured while waiting to receive aid near military-controlled distribution centers in Rafah and Deir al Balah.
Dujarric emphasized that Israeli airstrikes have continued to target health infrastructure, including the Noura Al Kaabi Dialysis Center in North Gaza, which was hit on Sunday.
“The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that more than 40% of dialysis patients in Gaza have died since the escalation of the conflict in October 2023, as treatment centers have either been destroyed or are inaccessible,” he stated.
The UN also warned of rising displacement across Gaza, with approximately 100,000 people affected by a new Israeli order for evacuations in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah on Saturday. These people are now seeking shelter in more than 200 displacement sites.
Since March 18, humanitarian groups estimate that more than 640,000 people—nearly a third of Gaza’s population—have been displaced within the region.
While more than 300 truckloads of aid have been transported through the reopened Gaza-Kareem Shalom crossing, access to humanitarian supplies remains unreliable. “Today, one of our attempts to collect supplies from Kareem Shalom was denied,” Dujarric added.
Israel has rejected international calls for a ceasefire and continues its offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in nearly 54,500 Palestinian deaths, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned that Gaza’s population of over 2 million is at risk of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions against Gaza’s civilians.
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