According to the World Health Organization, health targets in Gaza have sustained a high number of attacks attributed to Israeli operations. The WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported this figure on a recent briefing. The total exceeds the toll of Gaza’s month-long bombing period and surpasses all reported global assaults on health infrastructure in 2021. The International Committee of the Red Cross warns that Gaza’s health system is approaching a breaking point and calls for protecting medical facilities from attack.
Following the October 7 Hamas attacks, Israeli actions led to damage at multiple medical facilities, including hospitals and health centers, and to dozens of ambulances. WHO data indicate hundreds of deaths within these incidents and more than 11,000 fatalities overall in Gaza.
Observers note a new pattern of devastation to health facilities during ongoing clashes. Doctors Without Borders describes an unprecedented situation as Gaza remains largely isolated and subjected to widespread bombardment affecting a population of about 2.2 million, with Raquel González, a spokesperson for MSF, speaking on the impact.
Israel attacked hospitals in Gaza
As ground operations continue, the rate of strikes on health centers has risen, at times doubling within days. Attacks on Gaza’s health system occur with regular frequency, including air and artillery assaults.
In recent incidents, hospitals such as Shifa faced major damage. Hospital leadership reported that all hospitals in Gaza City were targeted during the strikes, and military officials acknowledged the sensitivity of such operations, noting that actions would be taken if armed groups were observed using hospital sites for fire. Some later assessments attributed certain hospital losses to failed militant rocket activity rather than direct hospital strikes.
Earlier reports indicated that Nasser Children’s Hospital had been subjected to aerial bombardment. Dozens were injured and several people died, with surrounding areas also affected by shelling. Footage from the area showed significant damage to care facilities and on-site clinics.
According to UN sources, a number of health facilities faced closure due to the damage. The day clinic at a major hospital complex was seen in images with debris and wounded individuals, underscoring ongoing access challenges for medical care.
The UN noted that a major psychiatric hospital, among others, had to suspend operations after severe damage. In Gaza City, the disruption extended to critical services, including operating rooms and oxygen production, while fuel shortages affected essential equipment and medicines remained scarce. The coordination office of humanitarian affairs highlighted a broader shortage of basic supplies such as infant formula, food, and medicines.
With many facilities closed, only a limited number of UNRWA health centers continued operating in the south. On a single day, facilities treated thousands of patients, revealing the heavy load placed on an already strained system. Patients faced severe conditions, including surgeries and amputations without anesthesia, and hospital beds became scarce as casualties mounted. Medical workers described challenging conditions, including limited water for wound care and overwhelmed staff on the ground.
United Nations humanitarian leadership urged that attacks on sensitive medical sites cease, emphasizing that hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law and must be spared from hostilities.
International medical personnel
MSF reported the loss of life among its staff and families due to the bombings in Gaza, reflecting the personal risk faced by healthcare workers serving a population of 2.2 million. The organization maintains a sizable workforce in Gaza, largely local, with hundreds employed to provide care under extremely difficult conditions.
Some MSF staff chose to relocate with their families to the south, where evacuation corridors were established, while others remained to continue medical services. Spokespeople emphasize that those who stayed did so out of a commitment to patient care, accepting high personal risk to deliver essential services to the community and neighbors in need.
Public statements from Israeli authorities have referenced security measures and alleged militant activity in or near hospital sites, while MSF notes there is no evidence of militants hiding within hospital facilities. The organization underscored that if such threats were confirmed, appropriate actions would be pursued, but the priority remains protecting patients and medical staff.
Under international law, protected medical facilities must not be targeted when used for humanitarian purposes. Even in difficult security contexts, this protected status should not be compromised, and steps should be taken to limit harm to doctors and patients while continuing essential care.
In this conflict, casualties have surpassed 11,000 in Gaza, with tens of thousands injured, and fatalities among Israelis have occurred as well. The broader humanitarian crisis continues to unfold, with the health system bearing a substantial portion of the strain as the situation evolves.