Gaza's Medical Services Grasping at Survival's Edge
Gaza's Medical Services Grasping at Survival's Edge
On January 3, 2025, during a gathering of the U.N. Security Council, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, representing the World Health Organization (WHO) for the West Bank and Gaza, sounded the alarm about Gaza's health system teetering on the edge of collapse. Dr. Peeperkorn warned that hospitals have been repeatedly used as battlefields, rendering them inoperable and denying healthcare to those in desperate need. The healthcare sector is being dismantled and pushed to its limits, struggling under severe shortages of medical supplies, equipment, and specialized personnel. Only 16 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functional, providing a meager total of 1,822 hospital beds—a far cry from what's required to handle the escalating health crisis.
During the meeting, the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner, Volker Türk, labeled the demolition of hospitals a "human rights disaster" that continues to unfold in Gaza, thereby capturing global attention. The Commissioner noted that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had documented at least 136 strikes on at least 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities in Gaza. The destruction wrought by recent attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last functioning hospital in North Gaza, mirrored patterns of assaults documented in a recent OHCHR report. All these attacks resulted in numerous fatalities and injuries among medical staff, doctors, nurses, and civilians. More than 1,050 medical professionals have been lost to Gaza.
The U.N. Human Rights Commissioner referred to the OHCHR report, published on December 31, 2024, which demonstrated that the shrinking healthcare system often prevented critically injured individuals from receiving timely treatment. Covering the period from October 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024, the report did not comment on recent attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital or the Indonesian Hospital's closure (due to a shortage of water, electricity, and sanitation). The report highlighted that many injured individuals died while awaiting hospitalization or treatment, and those who received care endured it without proper facilities or bedding. Premature discharges due to a lack of space were also common. The report also noted that attacks on hospitals in Gaza had devastating consequences for patients with non-fatal conditions, potentially escalating their condition to life-threatening levels.
Furthermore, the report pointed out that pregnant women in Gaza faced considerable hardships, often giving birth with minimal or no pre- or postnatal care, increasing the risk of preventable maternal and child mortality. Reports suggest that numerous newborns have passed away as a result of their mothers' inability to attend postnatal check-ups or access medical facilities for delivery. Similarly, patients with chronic diseases, such as kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer, have lost access to critical treatments.
During the U.N. Security Council meeting, the U.N. Human Rights Commissioner emphasized that ensuring hospital protection during wartime is imperative and must be respected by all warring parties. He urged for independent, comprehensive, and transparent investigations into all hospital attacks, healthcare infrastructure, and medical personnel.
Responding to the reports, Brett Jonathan Miller, Israel's Deputy Representative to the United Nations, stated that during the recent operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces, "over 240 terrorists were apprehended, including 15 participants in the October 7th massacre." He added that "one of the hospital directors, suspected of being a Hamas operative, was among those apprehended, hiding within the Kamal Adwan hospital under his supervision." The Israeli security forces are currently investigating him.
Attacks on hospitals in Gaza have severely impacted the healthcare system, causing untold suffering to Palestinians in terms of medical and healthcare access. It's crucial to launch urgent investigations into these attacks. However, these investigations will not yield meaningful results if Palestinians continue to lack adequate medical care. Ensuring access to healthcare must be given top priority.
The U.N. Human Rights Commissioner called for independent investigations into the numerous strikes on hospitals and medical facilities in Gaza, including the Kamal Adwan Hospital, citing them as potential war crimes. Despite the damaged healthcare infrastructure, the report highlighted continued war crimes against Gaza, with attacks on hospitals leading to preventable maternal and child mortalities, increased risks for patients with chronic diseases, and the denial of critical treatments.