A UN agency official stated on Wednesday that the health system in Gaza is teetering on the brink of collapse, with Palestinians succumbing to the enclave’s congested hospitals. The situation is still quite bad since Israel is still attacking the Palestinian group Hamas in the region.
According to the U.N., a large number of patients and displaced inhabitants seeking safety from the ongoing violence have forced 16 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals to operate at reduced capacity.
The coastal enclave is home to six hospitals, one of which was al-Shifa in Gaza City—the biggest hospital in Gaza with more than 700 beds.
World Health Organization (WHO) health emergency officer Sean Casey spoke to reporters in New York after spending considerable time in the war-torn region, stressing the critical necessity of a ceasefire.
Casey underlined the significance of enhancing accessibility for healthcare personnel and resources. He said that he and relief convoys had tried to transport gasoline and supplies to northern Gaza City several times but had been repeatedly turned away.
According to Casey, there are a lot of really hurt patients and very few medical professionals.
Casey recounted the tragic image of people frantically attempting to get treatment at al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza. With nowhere to go for supplies of water, fuel, or electricity, they were confined to lying on church benches. Due to a severe lack of personnel and medical supplies, the hospital was in a precarious situation.
He said the World Health Organization is trying to get more physicians, nurses, and surgeons to the area. In addition, field hospitals have been established to handle the increasing patient load.
The United Nations said the continuing bloodshed that began following Hamas’s strike in southern Israel on October 7th has forced almost 1.9 million people—nearly 85 percent of Gaza’s population—to leave their homes.
The health ministry in Gaza said that more than 24,400 individuals have sadly lost their lives, and another 60,000 have been injured as a result of the continuing war between Israel and Gaza.
Roughly 1,200 people were killed, and another 240 were captured in the initial onslaught that started the conflict. The Israeli military wasted no time in launching a counteroffensive against the terrorist faction that has ruled Gaza since 2007.
