KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip - Blood supply in Gaza is running dangerously low as hospitals across the enclave are grappling with an unprecedented surge in casualties, doctors at a key hospital in Gaza Strip’s Khan Younis warned on Sunday.
"We are receiving so many injuries—injuries from the ongoing war," Dr Anwar Mulayhi, Blood Bank supervisor at Nasser Hospital, told Rudaw.
"The injuries require surgeries, and they are bleeding - which drains blood units," Mulayhi added, emphasizing the immense pressure on the blood bank.
Thousands of injuries arrive in the 16 operating hospitals out of Gaza's 36 hospitals every day, with blood banks unable to keep up with the demand.
Ahmed Hijazi, 17, has bruises all over his body resulting from an Israeli strike that hit his home in areas between Rafah and Khan Younis last week.
He was abandoned on a gurney in a corridor at the Nasser Hospital due to the influx of patients. His mother had to take care of him.
"When my son, who was injured by shrapnel, was first brought here, he needed blood. But there was no blood or medicine. We couldn't even find a gauze wrap,” his mother, Sammar Hijazi, said.
"I'm calling on the world to come and see the injured. Despite having an injured son, nobody extended us a helping hand," she added.
Blood donations, which have always been a challenge in Gaza due to movement restrictions, have been further disrupted by the ongoing Israeli strikes targeting Gaza's infrastructure, including the hospitals.
No hospital in Gaza is fully functioning, only 16 of 36 hospitals are partially functioning and the remaining 20 are out of service, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report.
International aid shipments, including critical medical supplies, are being delayed or blocked at the key Rafah border crossing, making blood donation a challenging task due to safety concerns.
Mohammed Hurani is campaigning for blood donation and defies the risks of going to the hospital to save lives.
"The reason for my participation in this campaign is because so many people need blood, including children, ill and injured," said Hurani.
"We must stay side by side and support them even if we can offer the least. We will do what we can to help these (people), " he added.
More than 13 months into the war, over 43,000 people have been killed, and dozens of thousands have been injured, according to the Gaza Strip’s health ministry.
Rekar Aziz contributed to this article.