Gaza health crisis deepens as 86% of lab supplies exhausted.

SHOTLIST: GAZA, PALESTINE (MAY 5, 2026) 1. PEOPLE WAKING ON STREET NEAR RUINED BUILDINGS (TWO SHOTS) 2. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL 3. VARIOUS OF HEALTH WORKERS WORKING AT HOSPITAL'S LABORATORY 4. HEAD OF AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL'S LABORATORY, DR. RANIA SHAKOURA SPEAKING (Arabic) 5. VARIOUS OF HEALTH WORKERS WORKING AT HOSPITAL'S LABORATORY / BLOOD SAMPLES 6. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL 7. GAZAN MAN SAMIH AKILE SPEAKING (Arabic) 8. INTERIOR OF HOSPITALGAZA, PALESTINE - MAY 5, 2026: Laboratories and blood banks across the Gaza Strip are facing a catastrophic collapse in services, with health authorities reporting that 86% of essential medical testing supplies have been completely exhausted. Dr. Rania Shakoura, head of the laboratory department at al-Shifa Hospital, warned that there is currently no mechanism in place to replenish the missing materials. She noted that while laboratories have operated under extreme duress for the past three years, the current depletion of stock without replacement has left medical staff unable to perform basic diagnostic functions. The shortage is having a direct impact on patient care. Samih Akile, a local patient, reported that he was only able to complete half of his six required medical tests due to the lack of reagents and supplies, forcing him to search for other facilities that are likely facing similar deficits. In a written statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said laboratory shortages, which are critical for disease diagnosis, have brought health services close to paralysis. The ministry said 86 percent of laboratory needs cannot be met and blood bank stocks are completely depleted, warning of an emergency situation affecting intensive care units, emergency departments, operating rooms and routine patient monitoring. It added that some hospital laboratories have completely run out of materials needed for blood gas analysis, while remaining stocks in other facilities would last only a few days. The statement also noted that as of April, 57 percent of medical consumables and 50 percent of essential medicines were unavailable in Gaza, warning that continued shortages could lead to irreversible collapse of the health system. Worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, where shortages of medical supplies and deteriorating living conditions have contributed to the spread of diseases. The Israeli army has killed more than 72,600 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 172,000 in a deadly assault on Gaza since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Despite a ceasefire in place since last October, Israel has refused to allow the agreed quantities of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, where about 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced, face severe humanitarian conditions.