Gaza’s hospitals are falling apart. Every day brings new mass casualty events as people search desperately for food, and the medical system can’t keep up, the United Nations (UN) officials warned this week after scores of people—including doctors and their families—were killed. Hospitals that are still running don’t have enough fuel or medicine to treat the flood of patients. More than 1,500 medical workers have died since October 2023, Gaza health officials say. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that the situation gets worse every day.
The war has turned Gaza into a nightmare for its 2.3 million people. Hospitals that survived the bombing now work without reliable power or water. Doctors try to save lives with whatever supplies they can find. Many facilities have shut down completely, forcing the remaining ones to handle far more patients than they can manage.
Some help is trickling in, but it’s not nearly enough. Eleven trucks with medical supplies made it into Gaza on Tuesday, carrying surgical equipment and other basics that hospitals need. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the “health needs remain immense” and pushed for unrestricted access to bring in fuel, food, and medical aid. Dujarric wants all border crossings opened so aid can reach people wherever they are.
Things are about to get even worse. Ten water wells in northern Gaza have stopped working because there’s no fuel to run them. Another 25 wells are barely functioning and could stop any day. No cleaning supplies have entered Gaza since March, which means diseases can spread fast among kids, elderly people, and pregnant women.
Gaza’s health system is hanging by a thread. Without major changes soon, the UN’s warnings show that what’s already a disaster could turn into something much worse.
