Gaza Medical System Struggles Under Deepening Collapse and Resource Shortages

Healthcare services in the Gaza Strip are facing a severe collapse, leaving displaced residents with minimal access to medical treatment, according to accounts from local medical professionals and health reports released in August 2026. Widespread destruction of infrastructure and the displacement of civilian populations have rendered basic medical care unattainable for many impoverished residents.

According to figures cited by medical personnel, only 19 of Gaza’s 34 hospitals remain partially operational, with most wards in these facilities shut down due to structural damage. Across the entire Gaza Strip, approximately 2,200 inpatient hospital beds are available to serve a population of two million people. Prior to the escalation of hostilities, Al Shifa Hospital alone maintained 700 inpatient beds.

Primary healthcare networks have experienced similar declines. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, previously operated 22 medical clinics across Gaza. Recent reporting indicates that only six of those clinics remain functional today. The reduction in operational health centers is further aggravated by critical shortages of basic medical supplies, laboratory testing equipment, and active medical personnel capable of conducting surgeries and routine treatments.

In informal displacement camps across Gaza City, such as a makeshift settlement located at the ruins of the Hassan Salama school in the Nasr district, residents receive no organized municipal or medical services. During a recent one-day visit by a volunteer team from a local private clinic, medics conducted free health assessments for more than 150 camp residents. Doctors identified widespread chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, and kidney ailments, along with contagious infections such as scabies, hepatitis, chickenpox, gastroenteritis, and respiratory illnesses.

Financial and physical constraints severely hinder patients seeking care. Reaching a functioning hospital or clinic often requires traveling long distances in extreme weather, with transportation costs reaching at least $8 for a trip. For families unable to afford basic meals, this cost prevents timely medical intervention. Furthermore, surviving facilities such as Al Rantisi Hospital are operating at limited capacity, focusing primarily on specialized fields such as pediatrics and oncology, leaving adults with chronic health problems with few local options.

Background

Gaza’s health infrastructure has experienced severe disruption throughout the conflict, with medical facilities sustaining structural damage and experiencing critical resource shortages. UNRWA was originally established following the 1948 displacement of Palestinians, known as the Nakba, to provide primary healthcare, education, and humanitarian relief to refugees. The Hassan Salama school in Gaza City was destroyed alongside the neighboring Nasr school during an August 2024 bombardment that resulted in at least 30 recorded deaths.