In the midst of the third month of conflict between Israel and Hamas, healthcare professionals and aid organizations are sounding the alarm over the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged Gaza Strip. The United Nations (UN) fears that by the end of it all, more people could lose their lives to diseases than to bombs and rockets.
Since the war broke out on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 240 others, the Gaza Strip, controlled by the militant Hamas group, has been under complete Israeli blockade.
Food, water, electricity, and medical supplies are scarce throughout most parts of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are cramped together, trying to escape Israeli bombings. A mere handful of Palestinians have been able to flee Gaza, and even then, the number is still considerably more than two million people trapped within its borders.
As of Monday, more than 18,000 people have died in Gaza since the conflict began, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
By now, we're aware of the potential for disease outbreaks in the region. But how exactly are healthcare systems being affected by the conflict?
How are healthcare systems impacted by the conflict?
Local doctors and the UN have been warning of a potential deadly outbreak for weeks. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared last month that the crisis in Gaza is "the main driver of an epidemic."
Addressing the WHO members on Sunday, General Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that only 14 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are operational, with the two largest hospitals in the south working at triple capacity.
He added that only two planes are left north of the Wadi in Gaza, an area that Israel called upon about 1.1 million people to evacuate on October 13, when it began a land operation. He also mentioned that the hospitals only have 1,400 beds and are running out of medical supplies, which are being repurposed as shelters for displaced people.
