Gaza’s health system is in catastrophic collapse with hospitals operating at over 300% capacity while critical medicines run out of stock completely, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday, according to United Nations (UN) latest news.
Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals and under 38% of primary healthcare centers are partially functioning as deaths from malnutrition and disease surge. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative Dr. Rik Peeperkorn said bed occupancy far exceeds limits – Shifa Hospital at 250% capacity, Nasser at 180%, Al-Rantisi at 210%, and Al-Ahli over 300%. Over half of all medicines and 68% of medical supplies are completely out of stock.
The health crisis has worsened since May, with at least 1,655 people killed and more than 11,800 injured in food distribution areas alone. Hospitals struggle with persistent blood and plasma shortages while treating waves of trauma patients. Displacement orders in Gaza City now put WHO’s own warehouse in an evacuation zone, threatening further disruption to medical services already hanging by a thread.
Malnutrition deaths have spiked dramatically this year, killing 148 people including 49 children – 39 of them under five years old. Nearly 12,000 children under five were diagnosed with acute malnutrition in July, the highest monthly figure yet, with over 2,500 suffering from severe forms. Disease outbreaks add pressure, with suspected meningitis cases reaching 452 between July and early August – the highest since fighting escalated. Guillain-Barré syndrome cases also surged to 76 since June, but vital treatments remain completely unavailable.
International medical teams face entry denials while ICU equipment, anesthesia machines, and cold chain supplies get held up at borders. Though WHO brought in 80 trucks of medical supplies since June, procedures remain slow and unpredictable with many shipments delayed or denied outright.
“We need multiple crossings into Gaza opened, procedures simplified, and access impediments lifted,” Dr. Peeperkorn said. “We hear about more humanitarian supplies being allowed in – but it’s not happening, or it’s happening far too slowly.”
