The critical humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders, has ceased its operations in Gaza City. This difficult decision was made due to the escalating dangers faced by their staff amidst the ongoing Israeli ground offensive, highlighting the immense and growing strain on the region’s healthcare services.
On Friday, the organization announced its withdrawal, stating that Israeli tanks and military bombardments had approached within approximately half a mile of their clinics. Doctors Without Borders is a vital provider of medical services, addressing critical needs such as malnutrition and severe trauma injuries in the area.
Jacob Granger, the emergency medical coordinator for Doctors Without Borders in Gaza, issued a poignant statement: “We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities, as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces. This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous.”
Granger emphasized the dire situation, noting that in the preceding week alone, their clinic had performed over 3,600 consultations and treated more than 1,600 individuals for malnutrition – a critical issue in a region that a UN-backed panel of food experts declared to be experiencing famine last month. Israel, however, has disputed these findings and questioned the panel’s methodology.
This announcement from Doctors Without Borders coincided with a United Nations report revealing that four hospitals in northern Gaza had become inoperable over the last month. The UN further stated that an airstrike caused extensive damage to one of these facilities on the initial day of Israel’s ground offensive. The Israeli military has not yet provided a response to inquiries regarding these incidents.
Speaking in Geneva on Friday, Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, warned that numerous other hospitals across Gaza might soon be forced to close their doors. This looming crisis is attributed to severe shortages of essential medical supplies, particularly blood and blood bags.
Throughout the conflict, which began with a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the lack of fuel for hospital generators has remained a critical and ongoing challenge. Gaza’s health ministry indicated last week that these inconsistent supplies would further impede access to vital healthcare services.
The region’s medical infrastructure has suffered extensive devastation since September 16, when Israel initiated its comprehensive ground offensive on Gaza City, which it claims is one of the last remaining Hamas strongholds.
Caption: Palestinians gathered to bury loved ones outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday. They were unable to move them to a cemetery because of the Israeli ground invasion. (Credit: Ebrahim Hajjaj/Reuters)
Prior to the offensive, Israel had issued an evacuation order for Gaza City. Last week, the military reported that approximately 640,000 residents, out of nearly a million, had sought refuge in the southern parts of the territory.
However, Mr. Granger highlighted that a significant portion of the most vulnerable population, such as “infants in neonatal care, those with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses,” were simply unable to comply with the evacuation order.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, described the worsening situation in Gaza City as “disturbing and alarming.”
On Friday, he publicly stated that “Attacks on and around health facilities are making it impossible to deliver lifesaving care.” He urged Israel to “ensure safe access and protection for health workers, patients, and medical aid.”
Among the facilities closed recently was Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital. The United Nations reported that this hospital was struck by a military attack on September 16, with 80 patients present at the time. While no fatalities were reported from this specific strike at Al-Rantisi, it caused damage to critical infrastructure, including rooftop water tanks, communication systems, and medical equipment. The Israeli military has yet to comment on this incident.
International laws of armed conflict designate hospitals as protected sites, prohibiting attacks except under very specific and limited circumstances. Israel maintains that Hamas exploits hospitals for military operations, a claim which Hamas refutes.
With these closures, only 14 hospitals remain functional 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, as reported by local health officials, and extensive destruction. The Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its figures, announced on Saturday that 77 individuals had died in the previous 24 hours.
Caption: People navigate through the wreckage of homes destroyed in an Israeli military strike on Friday. (Credit: Ebrahim Hajjaj/Reuters)
Of the remaining 14 hospitals in Gaza, eight are located in Gaza City, while the other six serve the central and southern areas of the enclave, specifically in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
The World Health Organization reported that hospitals in Gaza City are severely overburdened with casualties from military attacks. Concurrently, the mass exodus of residents from Gaza City has led to an overwhelming influx of patients at facilities in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis.
On Saturday, Dr. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, confirmed that the significant displacement from Gaza City had left his hospital “completely full of patients and the wounded.”
He described the conditions at the facility as “catastrophic,” with patients receiving care in makeshift tents within the hospital courtyard, and many others forced to lie on the floor. His concerns extended to the potential spread of diseases, given that a large number of people in Deir al Balah are residing “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 remained operational. He noted that approximately 200 wounded and sick patients were currently being treated, with more arriving daily as Israel’s offensive persisted.
Dr. Abu Salmiya added that the ongoing military operations have severely hampered efforts to resupply the hospital, which was Gaza’s premier medical center before the conflict. Both staff and patients expressed apprehension that the Israeli military might issue another evacuation order, a directive that has occurred at least twice previously during the war.
Reporting contributed by Aaron Boxerman and Rawan Sheikh Ahmad.
