Viewpoint article by Rafał Majka and Samer Abuzerr, published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS)
Rafał Majka is a member of EATG
In Gaza, the devastation of the healthcare system following years of blockade and recurrent armed conflict has transformed HIV from a chronically under-detected condition into an acute, invisible public-health emergency. Prior to the 2023 escalation of violence, the Palestinian Ministry of Health had officially documented 125 people living with HIV (PLHIV) and AIDS in Palestine, including 50 in Gaza. Even then, this figure reflected long-standing structural barriers to detection—stigma, limited screening and fragile surveillance — rather than relatively low acquisition rates or the successful public health management of HIV/AIDS. Today, following the destruction of medical infrastructure, displacement of healthcare personnel and depletion of essential medicines, the actual number of PLHIV and AIDS in Gaza is unknown. The breakdown of testing, treatment and reporting systems has erased epidemiological visibility and placed those requiring continuous care at immediate risk.
Read the full article here.
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