Gaza’s Lifeblood Drained: Starvation Under Israeli Siege Renders Blood Donors Useless

Saturday, July 12, 2025  Read time1 min

SAEDNEWS: In a chilling new chapter of the Israeli siege, starvation is now preventing Palestinians from even saving their wounded — as malnourishment turns donated blood into dust.

Gaza’s Lifeblood Drained: Starvation Under Israeli Siege Renders Blood Donors Useless

According to Saed News, Gaza’s blood banks are collapsing under the weight of famine imposed by Israel’s total blockade. The systematic denial of food, medicine, and humanitarian corridors has not only starved the living but made it impossible to save the dying. Nasser Hospital, once a lifeline in Khan Younis, now turns away blood donations from emaciated residents whose bodies no longer carry usable blood.

“I nearly fainted while donating,” said local teacher and journalist Donya Abu Sitta. Her friend, a nurse, later revealed she suffered from acute anaemia and malnutrition — a condition now afflicting nearly every donor. “Two-thirds of all blood collected is useless,” medical staff say, due to dangerously low iron and haemoglobin levels.

Dr Sofia Za’arab, who heads Gaza’s Blood Bank, confirmed that the entire Strip needs 400 units of blood daily — a need that goes unmet as Israel bars medical supplies and donated units from entering. The siege, she warned, is killing not only through bombs and bullets but through calculated deprivation.

Since the full blockade began on March 2, Gaza has not seen meat, milk, or eggs. At least 66 children have starved to death, according to local health officials. UNICEF reports that over 5,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition in May alone.

But the damage goes deeper than the body. “I wanted to give a part of myself to help someone survive. But even that was taken,” Abu Sitta writes. Her words echo the broader horror of a genocide not just killing people — but dismantling the very human instinct to help others.

This is not collateral damage. It is policy. It is a siege designed not just to annihilate, but to erase dignity and solidarity. Charities are bombed. Aid lines are gunned down. The strong communal fabric that once held Gaza together is being deliberately torn. Yet, as Abu Sitta insists, “We are one family in Gaza. Our humanity will survive even this.”