AT LEAST 94 per cent of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed, and people in the north of the Palestinian enclave have practically lost the opportunity to receive any medical care, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a report.
"Only 19 of the Gaza Strip’s 36 hospitals remain operational, including one hospital providing basic care for the remaining patients still inside the hospital, and are struggling under severe supply shortages, a lack of health workers, persistent insecurity, and a surge of casualties, all while staff work in impossible conditions.
“Of the 19 hospitals, 12 provide a range of health services, while the remainder are only able to offer basic emergency care. At least 94 per cent of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed,” the report stated, according to the Russian News Agency (TASS) as reported by Bernama.
It stated that since the resumption of hostilities in the enclave on March 18, 2025, WHO has recorded 28 attacks on medical facilities, and since October 2023, there have been at least 697 such attacks.
"North Gaza has been stripped of nearly all health care. In southern Gaza, hospitals are overwhelmed by a surge in injured people. Currently, across the Gaza Strip, only 2,000 hospital beds remain available for a population of over 2 million, grossly insufficient to meet the current needs.
"Ongoing hostilities and the military presence are preventing patients from accessing care, obstructing staff from delivering services, and hindering WHO and its partners from resupplying hospitals," the report stated.
The organisation called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the region, reiterating that "the UN and its partners have a clear, principled and effective plan to deliver aid with safeguards against diversion, a system that has worked and must be enabled to continue." – May 23, 2025
