Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) has been forced to halt its crucial operations in Gaza City. The decision comes amidst escalating dangers posed by the ongoing Israeli ground offensive, marking a severe downturn for an already strained medical system within the territory.
The humanitarian organization, known for its vital work in treating malnutrition and severe trauma, confirmed on Friday that it ceased all activities in Gaza City. This move was necessitated as Israeli tanks and military strikes reportedly approached within approximately half a mile of their clinics.
“We’ve been left with no other option but to cease our work because our clinics are now surrounded by Israeli forces,” stated Jacob Granger, Doctors Without Borders’ emergency medical coordinator in Gaza. He emphasized, “This was a last resort, as the humanitarian and medical needs in Gaza City are immense.”
Granger highlighted the critical work undertaken by the organization’s clinic in the preceding week, where over 3,600 consultations were provided and more than 1,600 individuals were treated for malnutrition. This urgent need underscores a severe crisis in an area that a UN-backed panel of food experts recently declared to be experiencing famine conditions. Israel, however, has contested these findings and their methodology.
This withdrawal by Doctors Without Borders coincided with a grim announcement from the United Nations, revealing that four hospitals in northern Gaza have been rendered inoperable in the past month. One of these facilities suffered significant damage from an airstrike on the very first day of Israel’s ground offensive. The Israeli military has not yet commented on these reports.
According to Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, additional hospitals in Gaza could be forced to cease operations in the coming days. Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Friday, he cited critical shortages of essential supplies, including blood and blood bags, as the primary reason.
The scarcity of fuel required to power hospital generators continues to plague the region’s healthcare efforts, a persistent issue throughout the conflict that began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel in October 2023. Gaza’s health ministry recently warned that these unreliable supply lines would only further impede access to vital medical services.
Gaza’s already fragile medical infrastructure has faced further collapse since Israel initiated its extensive ground offensive on Gaza City on September 16. Israel maintains that Gaza City is a primary stronghold 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 moved south within the territory.
However, Mr. Granger highlighted that a significant portion of the most vulnerable population, including “infants in neonatal care, those with severe injuries, and individuals suffering from life-threatening illnesses,” remained trapped and unable to evacuate.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, described the worsening situation in Gaza City as “deeply disturbing and alarming.”
He stressed on social media that “attacks on and around health facilities are preventing the delivery of critical, lifesaving care.” He urged Israel to “guarantee safe access and protection for healthcare workers, patients, and essential medical aid.”
Among the hospitals forced to close last month was Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital. The United Nations reported that this facility was struck by a military attack on September 16, with 80 patients present at the time. While the strike caused no fatalities, it inflicted damage on rooftop water tanks, communication systems, and medical equipment. As of Saturday, the Israeli military has not responded to inquiries regarding this incident.
International laws of conflict designate hospitals as protected sites, prohibiting attacks except under extremely rare conditions. Israel has maintained that Hamas utilizes these medical facilities for military operations, an accusation that Hamas vehemently denies.
With these closures, only 14 hospitals remain operational across Gaza, serving a population of 2.2 million. The region has suffered nearly two years of continuous conflict, resulting in over 65,000 deaths, according to local health officials, and widespread devastation that has leveled significant areas. The Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatant and civilian casualties, reported 77 fatalities in the last 24 hours alone on Saturday.
Of the mere 14 hospitals still functioning in Gaza, eight are located in Gaza City, with the remaining six distributed across the central and southern areas, specifically in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
The World Health Organization reported that hospitals in Gaza City are struggling under the immense pressure of patients wounded in military strikes. Concurrently, healthcare facilities in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis are overwhelmed by the influx of people displaced from Gaza City.
On Saturday, Dr. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, confirmed that the mass displacement from Gaza City has resulted in his hospital being “completely overflowing with patients and the wounded.”
He described conditions at the facility as “catastrophic,” with patients receiving treatment in makeshift tents in the hospital courtyard and many others forced to lie on the floor. Dr. al-Daqran expressed serious concerns about the potential spread of diseases, given the unsanitary living conditions of so many displaced individuals in Deir al Balah, “in tents surrounded by sewage, garbage, rodents, and insects.”
Meanwhile, in Gaza City, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, stated on Saturday that their facility remains operational. He noted approximately 200 wounded and sick patients are currently receiving care, with more arriving daily as Israel’s offensive persists.
Dr. Abu Salmiya further explained that the ongoing military operations have severely hampered efforts to resupply Al-Shifa Hospital, historically Gaza’s primary medical center. Both staff and patients are increasingly anxious about a potential evacuation order from the Israeli military, an action that has already occurred at least twice since the war began.