Gaza Health System on the Brink Amid Intensified Hostilities

WHO Calls for Immediate Ceasefire

New Delhi, 24 May 2025  : The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire warning over the catastrophic collapse of Gaza’s health system, as ongoing military operations, mass displacement, and severe shortages of essential supplies cripple the territory’s remaining medical infrastructure.

In the past week alone, four major hospitals—Kamal Adwan, Indonesia, Hamad for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics, and the European Gaza Hospital—have suspended services due to their proximity to intense hostilities, evacuation orders, and direct attacks. WHO confirmed 28 attacks on health facilities during this period, bringing the total to 697 since October 2023.

Only 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational. Of these, just 12 are able to offer a range of services; the rest are limited to basic emergency care. Nearly all hospitals—94%—have suffered damage or destruction, while critical shortages of fuel, medical supplies, and health workers continue to worsen.

The situation is especially dire in North Gaza, where Al-Awda Hospital, the last functioning trauma point, is at risk of closure after multiple attacks. On 22 May, the hospital’s third and fourth floors were struck, injuring staff and destroying medical supplies and triage tents. Repeated WHO missions to reach both Al-Awda and the Indonesian Hospital were aborted due to security concerns.

In southern Gaza, hospitals like Nasser Medical Complex, Al-Amal, and Al-Aqsa are overwhelmed by a surge of casualties and newly displaced civilians. The loss of the European Gaza Hospital earlier this month has deprived the population of specialized services like neurosurgery and cancer care, with no viable alternatives.

With just 2,000 hospital beds remaining for over 2 million residents—and 890 of those beds at risk due to proximity to conflict zones—Gaza’s health system is facing collapse. WHO warns that continuous military action is systematically dismantling health services, undermining humanitarian efforts to rehabilitate and resupply them.

WHO reiterated urgent calls for the protection of health care facilities and personnel. “Hospitals must never be militarized or targeted,” the agency stressed, adding that humanitarian access and scaled-up aid deliveries are essential to preventing further catastrophe.

Above all, WHO calls for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, stating that only peace can restore even the most basic access to life-saving health care in Gaza.