The vital medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, has been forced to suspend all operations in Gaza City. This drastic decision comes amidst severe dangers posed by the ongoing Israeli ground offensive, highlighting the immense and escalating pressure on the region’s healthcare system.
On Friday, the organization, known globally for providing life-saving medical care including treatment for malnutrition and severe trauma, confirmed the cessation of its activities. Israeli tanks and military strikes have reportedly advanced to within approximately half a mile of their clinics, rendering continued operation impossible.
“We’ve been left with no alternative but to cease our operations, as Israeli forces have encircled our clinics,” stated Jacob Granger, Doctors Without Borders’ emergency medical coordinator in Gaza. He emphasized the profound regret over this decision, given the enormous medical needs in Gaza City. Just in the past week, their clinic had performed over 3,600 consultations and treated more than 1,600 individuals for malnutrition. This underscores the critical humanitarian situation, especially after a UN-backed food expert panel reported famine conditions in the area last month, a claim Israel has disputed.
This somber announcement by the charity coincided with a report from the United Nations, revealing that four hospitals in northern Gaza have become inoperable in the last month. One of these facilities suffered severe damage from an airstrike on the very first day of Israel’s ground offensive. The Israeli military has not yet commented on these developments.
Speaking from Geneva on Friday, Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, warned that several more hospitals across Gaza might be forced to cease operations soon, primarily due to critical shortages of essential supplies like blood and blood bags.
The ongoing scarcity of fuel, crucial for operating hospital generators, has been a relentless challenge throughout the conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023. Gaza’s health ministry recently highlighted that these inconsistent supplies are further obstructing access to vital healthcare services.
Gaza’s fragile medical infrastructure has faced even greater devastation since Israel initiated its comprehensive ground offensive in Gaza City on September 16. Israel claims the city is one of the final strongholds for Hamas within the territory.
Prior to the offensive, Israel had issued an evacuation order for Gaza City. Last week, the military reported that approximately 640,000 of the city’s nearly one million residents had already relocated to the southern parts of the territory.
However, Mr. Granger noted that a significant number of highly vulnerable individuals, such as infants requiring neonatal care and those with severe or life-threatening injuries, remain trapped and unable to evacuate.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, described the worsening conditions in Gaza City as “disturbing and alarming.”
On Friday, he posted on social media that “Attacks on and around health facilities are rendering the delivery of life-saving care impossible.” He urged Israel to “guarantee safe access and protection for healthcare personnel, patients, and essential medical assistance.”
Among the hospitals that ceased operations last month was Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital. The United Nations reported that this facility was struck by a military assault on September 16, while 80 patients were inside. While no fatalities were reported from this particular strike, it caused damage to the rooftop water tanks, communication systems, and medical equipment. The Israeli military has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this incident.
Israel maintains that Hamas utilizes hospitals for military objectives, a claim Hamas denies. According to international laws of conflict, hospitals are designated as protected sites, to be spared from attack except under very specific and exceptional circumstances.
These closures leave only 14 hospitals functioning across the entire Gaza Strip, a region where 2.2 million residents have suffered through nearly two years of continuous conflict. Local health officials report over 65,000 casualties, and vast areas of the territory have been decimated. The Gaza health ministry, which records all casualties without distinguishing between combatants and civilians, announced on Saturday that 77 lives were lost in the preceding 24 hours.
Of the mere 14 hospitals still operational in Gaza, eight are situated in Gaza City, with the remaining six located in the central and southern areas of the enclave, specifically in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
The World Health Organization has reported that hospitals in Gaza City are swamped with patients injured by military strikes. Concurrently, the exodus of people from Gaza City has caused a massive influx, overwhelming facilities in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
On Saturday, Dr. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, stated that the continuous flow of evacuees from Gaza City has resulted in his hospital being “completely overrun with patients and the wounded.”
He described the conditions at the facility as “catastrophic,” with patients receiving care in tents set up in the hospital courtyard, while others were left to lie on the bare floor. His concern extends to the potential for widespread disease, given that many residents in Deir al Balah are living “in tents surrounded by sewage, garbage, rodents, and insects.”
Meanwhile, in Gaza City, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, confirmed on Saturday that their facility remains operational. The hospital is currently caring for approximately 200 wounded and sick patients, with more arriving daily as Israel’s offensive persists.
Dr. Abu Salmiya expressed concern that the ongoing military operation is severely hindering efforts to resupply the hospital, which was Gaza’s premier medical center prior to the conflict. Both staff and patients are reportedly anxious about a potential evacuation order from the Israeli military, a directive that has been issued at least twice previously during the war.