The healthcare system in Gaza is teetering on the brink of collapse, grappling with an overwhelming number of patients and crippling power outages.
With the Palestinian women requiring medical attention far outpacing the hospital capacity, the situation paints a grim picture of a region in dire need of international aid and intervention.
The fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military have further strained Gaza’s healthcare system.
The violence has claimed hundreds of lives on both sides and caused significant disruption to the region’s fragile infrastructure.
The power outages in Gaza pose a significant threat, with Al Shifa Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the region, on the verge of a complete shutdown due to an electricity crisis.
The hospital, like many others in the region, is running out of fuel for generators, threatening the lives of countless patients.
According to sources from Israel, at least more than 677 Israelis, including possibly foreign nationals, were killed and at least 2,000 people were injured, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in decades.
Media reports estimate the number of people killed is to be much higher. Adding that more than 50 Israeli forces personnel and Israeli civilians, including women and children, were captured and forcibly taken into Gaza.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that at least 413 Palestinians have been killed and 2,300 others injured. An additional 13 Palestinians, including one child, were killed by Israeli forces.
Reports also indicate that Israeli airstrikes and shelling have targeted houses and apartment buildings and hospitals in Gaza.
In some cases, residential buildings were reportedly struck without warning for residents to evacuate. Notably, four large residential towers with multiple floors of residential units (Palestine, Al-Hashim, Wattan, and Al Aklouk) in Gaza city were completely destroyed.
Israeli forces reportedly provided prior warnings in these cases and there were no fatalities reported from these incidents. According to the Gaza Ministry of Public Works and Housing, 159 housing units have been destroyed, while 1,210 have suffered severe damage.
Further, six health care workers were killed and four injured by Israeli airstrikes that also damaged seven health care facilities and nine ambulances.
Damage to WASH related facilities from Israeli airstrikes has undermined the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to over 400,000 people.
The fighting has led to internal displacement. More than 17,500 families, comprising over 123,538 people, have been internally displaced in Gaza, mostly due to fear, protection concerns and the destruction of their homes.
