,A senior Gaza health official warned Monday that a dangerous respiratory virus is spreading rapidly across the enclave, claiming lives and pushing an already shattered healthcare system to the brink of total collapse.

Mohammed Abu Salmiya, medical director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, told Anadolu in an interview that hospitals are recording deaths linked to the outbreak, particularly among children, older adults and patients suffering from chronic illnesses.

“We are facing an unprecedented health catastrophe,” Abu Salmiya said. “The situation is deteriorating at a pace we have never witnessed before.”

He said the virus, believed to be a strain related to influenza or coronavirus, is spreading widely among all age groups, fueled by severe malnutrition, prolonged psychological trauma and the near absence of vaccinations.

According to Abu Salmiya, patients are experiencing intense and prolonged symptoms lasting up to two weeks, including high fever, severe joint and bone pain, persistent headaches and vomiting. In many cases, the illness progresses into acute pneumonia.

“These complications are proving deadly, especially for displaced families living in tents that provide no protection from cold, humidity or overcrowding,” he added.

Extreme shortages

Abu Salmiya described Gaza’s healthcare system as being in its worst condition since the start of Israel’s war on the enclave, warning that the collapse has accelerated despite the passage of more than 100 days since the ceasefire agreement.

Hospitals, he said, are operating with extreme shortages of even the most basic medical supplies.

“We lack sterile gauze in operating rooms. Antibiotics are critically scarce,” he said. “Cancer medications are completely unavailable, as are treatments for kidney dialysis patients and people with chronic diseases.”

He also warned of a growing mental health emergency, noting that psychiatric facilities have been destroyed and medications for mental health patients are largely unavailable, posing risks not only to patients but to the wider community.

Abu Salmiya added that approximately 70% of Gaza’s medical laboratories are no longer functioning due to shortages of equipment and essential materials, leaving doctors unable to conduct even routine diagnostic tests.

Obstruction of medical aid

The Al-Shifa medical director accused Israel of deliberately blocking the entry of medicines and medical equipment into Gaza, including supplies recommended by international organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

“Life-saving medications and equipment are being denied entry, while non-essential items such as soft drinks, snacks and mobile phones are allowed in,” he said, calling the policy a systematic attempt to inflict harm indirectly.

He urged the international community to intervene immediately to ensure the unrestricted entry of medical supplies, laboratory materials and essential equipment.

Abu Salmiya stressed that Gaza’s most urgent needs include antibiotics, cancer treatments, dialysis supplies, medications for chronic and mental illnesses, as well as basic medical consumables.

“Without these supplies, we are losing lives that could have been saved,” he said. “This is about preventing a complete humanitarian and medical collapse.”

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say hospitals, medical facilities, drug warehouses and healthcare workers have been repeatedly targeted, while strict restrictions on medical aid have crippled the enclave’s health system.

Palestinians have accused Israel of repeatedly violating an Oct. 10 ceasefire that halted the genocidal war that has killed more than 71,000 victims, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 since October 2023.

At least 465 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 1,287 others injured in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, according to the Health Ministry. (AA)

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