Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported a dramatic surge in blindness cases as Israel’s ongoing military campaign continues to cripple the territory’s healthcare system.
Since the beginning of the war, around 1,500 individuals have lost their sight, with an additional 4,000 at serious risk, according to a statement released Sunday, Palestine Chronicle reported.
The crisis is largely attributed to the depletion of essential medicines and surgical equipment. Gaza’s only eye care facility, the Eye Hospital, is on the verge of shutting down its critical surgical services.
Dr. Abdelsalam Sabah, Director of the Eye Hospital, described the current condition as “an almost total collapse.” He noted that procedures for retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, and internal bleeding have nearly ceased due to the absence of key medical supplies.
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“The health sector is facing a critical shortage of consumables and medical equipment necessary for eye surgeries,” Dr. Sabah said. “We now have only three worn-out surgical scissors for all operations, which we are forced to reuse, posing grave risks to patient safety.”
Key materials such as Healon and fine surgical sutures, essential for treating explosion-related eye injuries are almost entirely exhausted. These escalating shortages mirror a wider medical supply crisis across Gaza.
According to the Health Ministry, 64% of medical consumables are completely unavailable, and the supply of essential medications has dropped to just 57%, marking a 6% decline from the previous month. Hospitals are struggling to keep emergency rooms, ICUs, and operating theaters functional.
Critically ill patients, those suffering from kidney failure, cancer, cardiac conditions, and other chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable as health services crumble under blockade-induced constraints.
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The Ministry warns that if the blockade on medical aid continues, large portions of Gaza’s healthcare system may soon shut down entirely.
Months of continuous airstrikes have left the Strip’s health infrastructure in ruins. The eye care sector is among the hardest hit due to its dependence on specialized tools that are either unavailable or non-sterilizable.
The Ministry of Health is urgently appealing to international health organizations and humanitarian agencies to intervene and provide life-saving medical supplies. Without immediate aid, it warns, irreversible blindness will become increasingly widespread.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that the death toll has climbed to 52,810, with 119,473 injured since the start of Israel’s military campaign. []
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