In the corridors of Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City, the tragedy of hundreds of Palestinians suffering from thalassemia unfolds, as they struggle to survive under extremely complex health conditions. Patient Sadiqa Abu Jarad, 32 years old, suffers from the consequences of this genetic disease, which has left her unable to move, finding herself confined to a wheelchair inside a hospital lacking the most basic elements of adequate care.
International solidarity events for thalassemia patients this year weigh heavily on the residents of the Strip, as the pain is no longer limited to the physical symptoms of the chronic disease, but has extended to a difficult treatment journey characterized by long waiting hours and a severe shortage of essential medical supplies. Medical sources confirm that the absence of vacant beds and suitable resting places increases the suffering of patients who are forced to stay for long periods to complete blood transfusion sessions.
Thalassemia is known as a chronic genetic disorder that requires affected individuals to undergo regular blood transfusions every two to three weeks to maintain hemoglobin levels. This vital process aims to prevent serious complications that could lead to death, but its continuation without complementary medications poses other health challenges related to the accumulation of minerals in the body.
Sources explain that repeated blood transfusions necessarily lead to the accumulation of iron within vital organs, making patients in urgent and constant need of iron-chelating drugs. These medications are essential to prevent damage to the heart, liver, and endocrine glands, and they have been almost completely unavailable in pharmacies and hospitals in the Gaza Strip for long periods.
Doctors in the Strip warn that any delay in blood transfusions or interruption in complementary treatment can immediately lead to heart failure, liver damage, and general immune deficiency. Patients also show signs of severe fatigue and deformities in bones and joints, making movement and performing simple daily activities almost impossible.
For many patients, the crisis is no longer limited to the availability of medication, but has extended to the inability to conduct regular laboratory tests. For about three years, government hospitals have lacked the capacity to perform complete analyses, forcing patients to resort to private laboratories at exorbitant costs that exceed their purchasing power amid the collapsed economic conditions.
Mohammed Yassin, a 30-year-old thalassemia patient, describes the current situation as catastrophic in every sense of the word, noting that patients are fighting a daily battle for survival. Yassin confirms that the severe shortage of blood units threatens the lives of hundreds, especially with the spread of malnutrition, which has weakened the body's immunity and made it unable to resist the disease.
Field reports indicate that some patients have been forced to wait up to three months to receive a single unit of blood, which has led to a drop in blood levels to critical levels. These levels reached less than 5 grams for some, a dangerous medical stage that requires immediate intervention to prevent cardiac arrest or falling into a coma.
According to data from the Thalassemia Patients Friends Society, the number of patients in the Gaza Strip has decreased to only 237 patients, after dozens of deaths were recorded in recent months. Ibrahim Abdullah, the society's coordinator, stated that at least 38 patients have died due to the shortage of blood units, severe malnutrition, and the deterioration of the overall health system.
In addition to the blood shortage, the society suffers from the loss of filters for transfusion operations and daily iron-chelating drugs, which has led to a continuous and unprecedented deterioration in the health condition of the remaining patients. Despite repeated attempts to transfer critical cases for treatment abroad, most of these requests are rejected by the occupation authorities under the pretext of local treatment availability.
For his part, Dr. Mohammed Abu Nada, director of the Gaza Cancer Center, confirmed that medical teams are making strenuous efforts to provide what can be provided of blood units, but the available quantities do not cover the actual need. He pointed out that the quality of available blood sometimes does not meet the required standards for some complex cases, which increases the risks of allergies or non-responsiveness.
Abu Nada stressed that the top priority now must be to urgently introduce specialized medicines through international crossings, or to allow patients to travel immediately. He explained that there are cases requiring urgent bone marrow transplantation, a process that could give patients a real chance for complete recovery and end their suffering with continuous blood transfusions.
On May 8th of each year, the world observes International Thalassemia Day to raise awareness and support patients, but this day passes in Gaza as a cry for help that has not yet found sufficient resonance. Patients demand their basic rights to regular medication and safe blood units, away from political disputes for which they pay with their lives and exhausted bodies.
The fate of hundreds of patients in Gaza remains dependent on the response of the international community and global health organizations to provide urgent medical supplies. With the continued blockade and the collapse of medical infrastructure, the risk of death continues to haunt everyone suffering from this genetic disease, in the absence of any immediate prospect of ending this escalating humanitarian suffering.
A unit of blood for us is not just a temporary treatment, but a continuous necessity for survival that cannot be dispensed with.
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Silent Death Threatens Thalassemia Patients in Gaza: Severe Blood Shortage and Absence of Life-Saving Medications