Gaza City Under Intense Assault: Health System Collapses as Death Toll Mounts
Gaza City – Israeli strikes adn shootings have killed at least 57 Palestinians in Gaza City as the Israeli military intensifies its offensive, prompting alarm from medical teams and further crippling the territory’s already strained healthcare system. the escalating violence comes as international pressure mounts on Israel following a United Nations inquiry finding evidence of genocide in Gaza and increased recognition of Palestinian statehood by several nations.
The assault has left Gaza City’s health sector on the brink of collapse. Two clinics have been destroyed by airstrikes, two hospitals have been forced to close due to damage, and others are operating with severely limited resources. Shortages of medicine, equipment, food, and fuel are widespread, and many medical personnel have been displaced.
Medical teams reported that Israeli tanks were approaching the vicinity of Helou hospital, restricting access to the facility where 159 patients are receiving treatment. “The bombardment has not stopped for a single moment,” stated Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya.
The situation is notably dire for vulnerable patients, including 14 premature babies receiving care in incubators at Helou hospital. Though, access to the facility is hampered, with Dr.Nasser Bulbul, the head of neonatal intensive care, reporting that the hospital’s main gate has been closed due to drone activity overhead.
The developments follow a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN general assembly in New York on Friday, where he asserted that his country “must finish the job” in Gaza. His address was met with protests both inside and outside the UN headquarters, including a walkout by dozens of delegates.
Médecins Sans Frontières announced Friday it had suspended activities in Gaza City due to the deteriorating security situation. ”We have been left with no choice but to stop our activities as our clinics are encircled by Israeli forces,” said Jacob Granger, the charity’s emergency coordinator in Gaza. “This is the last thing we wanted, as the needs in Gaza City are enormous, with the most at-risk people – infants in neonatal care, people with severe injuries and life-threatening illnesses – unable to move and in grave danger.”
The recent escalation in violence adds to a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where nearly two weeks of offensive operations have exacerbated existing challenges and pushed the health system to its breaking point.
