Gaza‘s Healthcare System collapses, Described as “Slaughterhouse” Amid Ongoing Conflict
gaza City – the healthcare infrastructure in Gaza has deteriorated to a critical state, with functioning hospitals overwhelmed and increasingly unable to provide even basic care, according to Younis Al Khatib, a veteran aid worker with the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Al Khatib describes the current situation as “improvised, sporadic health care,” with the two million residents largely reliant on field hospitals while existing facilities struggle to cope with the influx of casualties.
The collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system isn’t a sudden development, but a pattern of escalating attacks on medical facilities and personnel, raising concerns about violations of international law. This crisis underscores the immense humanitarian challenges facing the region and the urgent need for accountability regarding the targeting of healthcare infrastructure during conflict.
Al Khatib specifically cited the situation at al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest healthcare complex, stating, “People send the bodies to al-shifa hospital… It is indeed not a hospital. It’s a slaughterhouse.” He noted that the facility is burdened not only with treating the wounded but also with managing the deceased.
This pattern of attacks on healthcare is not new, according to Al Khatib, who has over 20 years of experience in Middle East conflicts. He recalls a turning point during the 2000-2005 al-Aqsa intifada, when the PRCS emblem no longer guaranteed safety, forcing the organization to equip its personnel with body armor. During that period, the PRCS lost 18 colleagues, a number Al Khatib asserts “can’t be called a mistake.”
The current conflict, spanning roughly two years, is described by Al Khatib as ”worse” than anything previously witnessed. He points to a particularly egregious incident last spring in Rafah, where an Israeli airstrike targeted a humanitarian convoy, killing 15 aid workers, including eight from the PRCS.While Israel investigated and reassigned some officers, no charges have been filed.
Al Khatib warns that the disregard for international law sets a risky precedent. “When a country that is subject to the Geneva conventions, a UN member, violates this, it becomes a precedent,” he stated, urging a clear response from the international community to violations of international law and the Geneva Conventions. He also expressed concern that this pattern is spreading, citing similar issues emerging in Sudan.
