TNA Staff
The New Arab / February 7, 2026
Gaza’s health ministry says remaining hospitals can no longer treat patients as shortages worsen and Israeli attacks continue.
Gaza’s remaining functioning hospitals have become little more than forced waiting stations for thousands of patients and wounded people facing an unknown fate, the enclave’s Ministry of Health said, amid continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement and renewed attacks across the territory on Saturday.
The ministry said the remaining operational hospitals are no longer able to meet medical needs due to severe shortages of medicines and supplies, warning that the healthcare system is on the brink of total collapse.
It reported that 46% of essential medicines, 66% of medical consumables, and 84% of laboratory and blood bank supplies have been completely depleted, leaving even basic painkillers unavailable.
According to the ministry, services for cancer patients, blood diseases, surgery, intensive care, and primary healthcare are among the most severely affected.
It said limited quantities of medicines entering Gaza fall far short of actual needs, stressing that temporary emergency measures are insufficient and renewing urgent appeals for immediate international intervention to replenish medical stocks.
90% of healthcare facilities damaged or destroyed
In a separate report, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said Israeli attacks have destroyed around 90% of Gaza’s healthcare facilities either fully or partially, forcing them out of service. Of Gaza’s 38 hospitals, only 18 are partially operational.
Most of the facilities are concentrated in the central areas and Deir al-Balah, while northern Gaza faces an almost complete absence of specialised medical services.
The report added that more than 1,240 doctors, nurses, and paramedics have been killed since the start of the war.
Around 11,000 cancer patients are facing life-threatening conditions due to the depletion of chemotherapy drugs and the shutdown of radiotherapy equipment, while dialysis centres are struggling with equipment failures and shortages of filters and solutions.
The health ministry said more than 1.5 million cases of infectious diseases have been recorded, including viral hepatitis, acute gastrointestinal infections, and skin diseases, largely due to the destruction of sewage networks and water contamination.
It added that around 18,000 wounded and chronically ill patients are in critical condition and urgently require medical evacuation abroad, while only about 1% of those in need are permitted to leave each month.
Continued attacks
The health crisis is unfolding as Israeli forces continue military operations across the Gaza Strip, despite the ceasefire agreement that came into force in October. On Friday evening, several Palestinians were injured in renewed airstrikes and gunfire targeting multiple areas.
One Palestinian was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the town of al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Younis, while five others were injured after heavy fire from Israeli tanks struck displacement tents in the al-Buraq neighbourhood, south of the city. Another person was shot in central Deir al-Balah.
Israeli warplanes also completely destroyed a multi-storey residential building near the Asqula roundabout in the al-Zeitoun neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, after issuing a brief evacuation warning only minutes before the attack. Earlier on Friday, two Palestinians were killed by Israeli shelling and gunfire in northern Gaza.
Israeli helicopter gunships opened heavy fire on Rafah in the south of the Strip, while military vehicles targeted areas east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. Palestinian media also reported gunfire from Israeli forces near al-Bureij refugee camp and along the coast of Khan Younis in the early hours of Saturday.
The Gaza health ministry said that since the ceasefire came into effect last October, 574 Palestinians have been killed and 1,518 injured. Since the start of the Israeli assault in October 2023, the death toll has reached 71,851, with 171,626 injured.
