The Gaza Strip is facing a severe crisis in the availability of ambulances following the recent war, leading to a decline in the capacity of emergency services to only about 30% of their operational capability, amid warnings of serious consequences for the lives of patients and the injured.
This decline is attributed to the destruction of a large number of ambulance vehicles by Zionist forces, in addition to a severe shortage of spare parts needed to maintain and operate the remaining vehicles, under difficult field conditions and widespread damage to road infrastructure.
Ambulance officer Hassan Imran stated that the strip is facing a “real problem” as a result of this shortage, explaining that many ambulances have been completely destroyed, while the remaining vehicles are operating in deteriorating condition.
He added that “the ambulance department is now operating at no more than 30% compared to before the war.”
Imran pointed out that Nasser Medical Complex, which had more than 12 ambulances before the war, now has only three vehicles remaining, warning that they could stop functioning at any moment due to the lack of essential spare parts such as batteries and tires.
He explained that some of the ambulances still in operation are more than 10 years old, making them more prone to breakdowns, especially given the damaged roads and difficulty of movement, which accelerates their deterioration.
Imran called on the international community and health and human rights organizations to act urgently to provide ambulances and spare parts, warning that the continuation of the current situation could lead to a “real catastrophe” represented by the near-total collapse of ambulance services in the Strip.
Since October 7, 2023, Zionist forces, with American and European support, have carried out a genocide in the Gaza Strip, resulting in more than 243,000 Palestinians killed and injured, most of them children and women, in addition to more than 11,000 missing persons and hundreds of thousands displaced, as well as widespread destruction affecting most areas of the enclave.
