SRINAGAR: Gaza City’s medical system is teetering on the brink of collapse as the ongoing Israeli military offensive continues to overwhelm health facilities, with four more hospitals in the north of the enclave forced to shut down this month alone, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday, according to UN News.
“This brings the total functioning hospitals in Gaza to only 14…the situation at the remaining eight hospitals and one field hospital in the city is critical,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told journalists in Geneva.
The closures come amid Israeli operations aimed at dislodging Hamas fighters believed to be entrenched in Gaza City. Repeated evacuation orders issued by the Israel Defence Forces have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people, disrupting the functioning of scores of healthcare facilities.
“Even if hospitals are not asked to evacuate, there is a lack of access, there is violence just nearby and that can put them out of service,” Jasarevic said, highlighting the dual threat of direct attacks and restricted access.
Gaza City houses almost half of all hospitals and field hospitals in the enclave, making it the backbone of the territory’s healthcare system. Hospitals in the south, including Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, are already overwhelmed and unable to absorb more patients, the WHO said.
The four north Gaza hospitals shut since 1 September include Al Rantisi Children’s Hospital, the Ophthalmic Hospital, St. John Eye Hospital, and Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics. Hamad Hospital, one of three major rehabilitation centres in Gaza, had been treating around 250 outpatients daily in addition to trauma patients.
Al Rantisi Hospital, the only remaining specialised paediatric hospital in the Gaza Strip, sustained heavy damage from a direct strike on 16 September while 80 patients were inside. Although there were no fatalities, rooftop water tanks, communication systems, and medical equipment were severely damaged. Some 40 patients, including four children in intensive care and eight newborns, remain inside.
WHO warned that remaining hospitals are overwhelmed by casualties, running low on supplies, and forced to treat patients on floors. Critical shortages of blood units, blood bags, and transfusion sets threaten to shut down services entirely.
“More violence only means more injured people, more casualties, more deaths, and less access,” Jasarevic said. He reiterated WHO’s urgent call for the evacuation of more than 15,000 seriously ill patients and appealed for a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to sustain Gaza’s fragile health system.
