By Shaimaa Eid

Kidney patients in Gaza face a dire shortage of clean water, medicine, and dialysis, struggling for survival amid ongoing war and devastation.

Inside the corridors of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, Mohammed Saleh sits, exhausted, waiting for his turn to undergo a dialysis session. Signs of fatigue are evident on his face—not only due to his illness but also because of the grueling search for clean drinking water, which ended in vain.

With a weary tone, he says, “Every day, we fight a tough battle to find clean water to sustain our frail bodies.” He stresses that access to bottled water for kidney patients in Gaza is no longer a luxury but rather “a matter of life or death.”

The Burden of Illness and Displacement

Mohammed, who was displaced from the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza, has been suffering from kidney disease for four years.

Before Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began, on October 7, he underwent dialysis three times a week, with each session lasting four hours. However, as the crisis deepened, medical supplies dwindled, and the number of displaced patients surged, the hospital was forced to reduce dialysis sessions to just twice a week, each lasting only two hours.

Gazing somberly at the dialysis machine, Mohammed laments, “This reduction is severely impacting our health, especially with the lack of clean water and proper nutrition, which are crucial for our survival.”

His suffering extends beyond reduced dialysis sessions. He has also developed a stomach infection from being forced to drink contaminated water at displacement shelters, where suitable water for his condition is unavailable. Kidney patients require large amounts of clean water, yet bottled water in Gaza has become prohibitively expensive—when it is available at all.

“I have no stable income,” he says sorrowfully. “Even if bottled water were available, I couldn’t afford it. The prices are beyond my reach.”

Water: A Luxury in Wartime

Since the beginning of the onslaught, Gaza’s water infrastructure has been severely damaged, turning access to clean drinking water into a “luxury,” as many residents describe it. The scarcity and skyrocketing prices have made it nearly impossible for most people to obtain.

Local water sources, such as wells and desalination plants, have been crippled by power outages and severe fuel shortages, forcing residents to seek alternative sources at exorbitant costs.

“The salinity level in the water is extremely high, posing a serious risk to our health,” Mohammed explains in a weak voice. “Our bodies lose essential minerals during dialysis, so we desperately need safe, bottled water. But securing it has become an overwhelming burden.”

A Severe Shortage of Medicine

The crisis extends beyond water. A severe shortage of essential medications for kidney patients has worsened their suffering. Hospitals are struggling with dwindling medical supplies, and the few medicines available in private pharmacies are sold at prices far beyond the patients’ means—most of whom have lost their livelihoods due to the war.

“I had to sell pieces of my wife’s gold to afford medication and bottled water,” Mohammed reveals with despair. “Even transportation costs to the hospital for dialysis sessions have become a burden. I feel like I’m sacrificing everything just to stay alive.”

Warnings of a Health Catastrophe

Saeed Khattab, the head nurse at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, warns that kidney failure patients are among the most vulnerable, as their weakened immune systems make them highly susceptible to infections and viruses.

He adds, “The Israeli occupation has destroyed most of Gaza’s water desalination plants. Some have completely shut down, while others are operating at minimal capacity. As a result, most of the water available today is unfit for drinking—especially for kidney patients, who require clean water to prevent serious complications.”

Khattab warns that contaminated water can cause severe intestinal infections, persistent vomiting, and dehydration, all of which can lead to a rapid deterioration in patients’ health, potentially resulting in death.

Urgent Appeals to Save Patients

Given this catastrophic situation, Dr. Khattab is calling on the World Health Organization and international institutions to intervene immediately to save Gaza’s kidney patients. He urges them to provide clean drinking water, essential medications, and proper nutrition to support their fragile health amid the severe collapse of the healthcare system.

Despite everything, Mohammed and thousands of other patients continue to fight for survival, clinging to life amid unbearable conditions—hoping that, somehow, they will regain access to the essentials they have lost: a sip of clean water, or a life-saving dose of medicine.

(The Palestine Chronicle)