Gaza Medical Supplies Hit Zero Level, Threatening Healthcare Collapse

Gaza, MINA – Gaza’s health ministry has warned that essential medicines, medical consumables, and laboratory supplies have reached unprecedented zero stock levels, threatening the collapse of life saving healthcare services, according to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).

A report by the ministry’s pharmacy department on Tuesday found that nearly 50 percent of medical consumables and 42 percent of essential medicines were out of stock during October, severely undermining the healthcare system’s capacity to provide treatment.

According to the report, supplies of chemotherapy, hormonal therapies, immunosuppressants, and clotting factors have run out, disrupting care for approximately 55 percent of patients who rely on them.

The ministry warned that the absence of these treatments would lead to severe complications for thousands of patients in Gaza, as Israeli travel restrictions prevent them from seeking medical care abroad.

The zero stock levels described by the pharmacy department represent the most acute stage of a deterioration that has been documented across Gaza’s health sector for months. The categories affected are not discretionary: chemotherapy for cancer patients, hormonal therapies for endocrine and reproductive conditions, immunosuppressants for transplant recipients and autoimmune patients, and clotting factors for people with bleeding disorders.

The disruption to care for roughly 55 percent of patients dependent on these treatments is compounded by the near impossibility of seeking care abroad. More than 21,000 patients and wounded Palestinians require medical treatment outside the Strip, with 6,430 classified as medical priorities, yet only 3,056 have been able to leave since February 2026. The Health Ministry has reported that 2,027 patients died while waiting for approval for medical evacuation.

For those who do manage to leave, the return journey carries its own risks. Israeli forces have arrested 11 Palestinians returning from Egypt after medical treatment, including Mohammed Hassan Salim Labad, 36, who was detained on Tuesday after completing treatment for an earlier injury.

The medical supply crisis is one strand of a broader collapse. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that 74,618 Palestinians have been killed and 175,834 injured since October 7, 2023. Euro Med Monitor has warned that a lack of specialized treatment threatens the recovery of Gaza’s child amputees, while the UN Human Rights Office has described the displacement situation as an “acute and chronic nightmare” as Palestinians enter their fourth winter in frail tents.

The supply shortages also intersect with Israel’s blockade on cooking gas and restrictions at crossings, which have limited the entry of fuel, food, and medical goods. With local authorities virtually unable to respond to emergencies due to infrastructure damage, the health system’s remaining capacity depends on supplies that are now exhausted in key categories.

The ministry’s warning suggests that without immediate resupply and unhindered medical evacuation, patients whose conditions are treatable will face preventable deterioration, adding to a death toll that has continued to rise even during the ceasefire that took effect on October 11, 2025.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)