Health Inequalities in Gaza

After months of hostilities and restrictions on humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip along with brutal, targeted violence from the IDF, the collapse of health systems has had disastrous effects on young Palestinian children and their families. 

Before looking into the health inequalities Gazans are facing right now, let’s look at the universal health guidelines and how Gaza is meeting them. “he right to health [3] is an inclusive right, extending not only to timely and appropriate health care, but also to the underlying determinants of health, including an adequate supply of safe food, nutrition and housing, and access to safe and potable water and adequate sanitation.” (Mofokeng) As mentioned in ESI’s previous article about Malnutrition in Gaza, 1 in 3 children under 2 years of age are experiencing acute malnutrition in the northern region of the Gaza Strip according to UNICEF. 

Additionally, “Article 56 [4] requires Israel to adopt and apply "the prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics' in cooperation with national and local authorities." Unfortunately, this is not met due to poor sanitary conditions in Gaza and inadequate medical supplies. Moving on to international law regarding warfare, it is illegal to intentionally target hospitals or to intentionally target civilians. (Hassan) However, according to an article published by Al-Jazeera, only 11 out of Gaza’s 35 hospitals are partially functioning on May 1st, a number that might have decreased by now, due to Israel’s intentional targeting of these hospitals.

Moreover, at least 337 medical workers have been targeted by May 1st, including 2 of the only 4 pathologists in Gaza. (Hassan). 

Along with the blockade of any humanitarian aid or medical supplies, the inaccess to hospitals or medical treatment has left disease spreading at an unprecedented rate. According to research published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the United States and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, an escalation of the conflict could result in nearly 86,000 additional deaths over the next six months, after accounting for the effects of war-induced disease, epidemics, and malnutrition. 

I believe that many members of our community have shown a lack of concern for the ongoing health crisis in Gaza. We must condemn Israel's war crimes, the genocide in Gaza, and Israel's long-standing medical apartheid in the occupied Palestinian lands. We must also put pressure on all nations to promptly reinstate and enhance funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and other agencies that assist Palestinians in Gaza and in the rest of the occupied territory. 

References:

Hassan, F. (2024, March 1). Israel’s war on Gaza is a health justice issue, too. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/3/1/the-war-on-gaza-is-a-health-justice-issue-too

Mofokeng, T. (2024, March 19). OPINION - How does Israel target the right to health in Gaza? Www.aa.com.tr. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/analysis/opinion-how-does-israel-target-the-right-to-health-in-gaza/3168786

Right to Health: Barriers to health and attacks on health care in the occupied Palestinian territory, 2019-2021 - occupied Palestinian territory | ReliefWeb. (2023, May 9). Reliefweb.int. https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/right-health-barriers-health-and-attacks-health-care-occupied-palestinian-territory-2019-2021