Gaza Health Facilities Buckle Under Strain of Ongoing Crisis: 80% Overwhelmed

Gaza health facilities has been pushed to the brink of collapse since the crisis began in October 2023 — hospitals operating at a breaking point, life-giving supplies running low, and doctors taking a risk to save lives. Through early 2025, the Gaza healthcare crisis is only getting worse.

An Overwhelmed System Facing Devastation

Close to 7% of Gaza’s population have been wounded or murdered since the start of the hostilities, with over 105,000 civilians injured. Over 25% of those are permanent, placing the huge burden that has been put upon Gaza health facilities into context.

Only 16 of 36 Gaza hospitals are operating at half capacity, with less than 1,800 beds — less than half the desperately needed. Principal hospitals like Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda in northern Gaza have been severely bombed out or barely managing to provide even minimum care due to ongoing attacks and extreme shortages of medicine and equipment.

Hospitals Turned Into Frontlines

The incessant bombing of Gaza health facilities has turned hospitals into virtual battlegrounds. The United Nations and WHO documented hundreds of attacks on health facilities, resulting in disastrous loss of life of patients and workers, and forced relocation of critical patients to tents and overcrowded centers.

Al-Shifa Hospital and other large installations were partially rehabilitated but still operate under immense pressure, without sufficient fuel to operate necessary equipment and ambulances. The situation in Gaza hospitals 2025 remains extremely dangerous and unstable.

Healthcare Workers: Unsung Heroes Under Fire

Health workers in Gaza health facilities are exposed to unimaginable danger and physical fatigue. More than 1,000 health workers have been murdered since the conflict escalated, with the majority being in direct fire or deliberately targeted. Nevertheless, these workers toil night and day and continue to perform emergency care, showing resilience and unyielding willpower against the odds.

Critical Shortages and Humanitarian Needs

Medicine, fuel, and supplies are critically short. Gaza hospitals have no electricity in generators to undertake life-support treatment without fuel. Relief shipments are somewhat better but still an order of magnitude below the staggering needs on the ground.

The gaza health facilities and  medical field is on the verge of collapse, with a majority of ambulances and clinics still running. There are over 12,000 foreign patients who need to be evacuated and treated immediately, but evacuation room is not yet available and hence it takes years to empty the list. Urgent medical aid in Gaza is essential.

Glimmers of Hope and Urgent Calls for Action

Through Herculean struggle against intolerable adversity, efforts at the rehabilitation of Gaza health facilities remain unabated, a sliver of hope. Healthcare facilities such as Al-Shifa and the Nasser Medical Complex are being rehabilitated, proof of the determination of the Gaza healthcare system and citizens.

Global calls for a ceasefire, greater protection of hospitals and medical centers, and more rapid humanitarian aid are crucial. Safe zones for Gaza hospitals and continuing provision of medical care must become an international priority.

How You Can Help with Us

The Gaza health facilities are a lifeline to millions of people in the midst of the crisis. Humanitarian support to the agencies on the front line is essential—be it by way of donation, generating awareness, or supporting peace and security of health workers. Support Children’s Aid and Donate Here for Gaza.