Gaza, December 21 (QNA) - Health authorities in Gaza Strip confirmed that around 1,500 children are awaiting the opening of border crossings to travel and receive treatment outside the strip, amid a severe shortage of medicines and essential medical supplies that has led to the suspension of a large number of surgical procedures.

Head of the Information Unit at Gaza's Ministry of Health, Zaher Al Waheidi, stated on Sunday that approximately 110,000 children are suffering from malnutrition, including about 9,500 children with acute malnutrition, warning of a serious escalation in the humanitarian crisis. He added that 42 percent of pregnant women in the Strip suffer from anemia, while child mortality rates are rising sharply due to the lack of basic healthcare services and the inability of patients to travel for treatment abroad, particularly children.

He noted that 1,200 patients, including 155 children, have died after being unable to be evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment. He also said the health sector is facing a 52 percent shortage of essential medicines, while hospitals are experiencing a severe lack of laboratory supplies.

Al Waheidi confirmed that 99 percent of orthopedic surgeries in Gaza hospitals have stopped due to the unavailability of the necessary tools and equipment, calling for urgent intervention to allow the regular entry of medicines and laboratory supplies into the Strip.

The World Health Organization had previously reported that more than 1,000 patients have died while waiting for medical evacuation from Gaza since July 2024. In recent weeks, the organization said that more than 16,500 Gaza residents are still awaiting urgent medical evacuation. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders stated that these figures only include officially registered patients, noting that the actual number of those awaiting treatment is significantly higher. (QNA)