The attacks began with a major strike on the European Hospital in Khan Younis. That assault marked the beginning of Israel’s expanded ground operation, now called “Operation Gideon’s Chariots.” Since then, medical centers in multiple areas of Gaza have come under heavy fire.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 28 separate attacks on Gaza hospitals were recorded in just one week — 4% of the total attacks on hospitals since the genocide began in October 2023.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the health system is “beyond breaking point.” He confirmed that only 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain even partially functional. Most of the remaining hospitals are severely overcrowded and running out of supplies.
The Ministry of Health reports that nearly 400,000 people are now without access to any medical care. Israeli officials continue to claim that Hamas fighters hide in or under hospitals — a justification widely used for these attacks without providing evidence. Investigations by AP, The Washington Post, and The New York Times have repeatedly shown Israel failing to provide evidence of military infrastructure at many of the targeted hospitals.
Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Gaza's Director-General of Health, told Physicians for Human Rights that medical services have “effectively vanished” for hundreds of thousands in the enclave.
The European Hospital suffered at least two strikes. The first damaged its emergency wing, access roads, and water pipes. British surgeon Dr. Tom Potokar, volunteering at the hospital, described hearing explosions that shook the building and threw him from his bed. “People were in total panic. Smoke filled the corridors, and the water pipes burst,” he said. The hospital was later shut down by the health ministry due to ongoing airstrikes and critical damage to its oxygen and sewage systems.
In the north, only Al-Awda Hospital remains operational, but it's on the brink of closure. Staff returned last week to find it looted and damaged. A fire, reportedly caused by an Israeli strike, destroyed the hospital’s medical supply warehouse. The WHO says essential items like anesthesia and IV fluids were lost.
The situation is just as grim in the south. The Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, which specialized in cancer treatment, has also been shut down. Along with the European Hospital, it was one of Gaza’s two main oncology centers. Its closure leaves thousands of cancer patients with no treatment options.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is now the only major medical center still working in the south. It is overwhelmed. According to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), patients sleep in hallways. Operating rooms run nonstop. The ICU, built for 12 patients, now holds more than 24.
Last week, shrapnel hit the ER at Al-Amal Hospital, and the Red Crescent clinic in Khan Younis was heavily damaged. The first floor collapsed after a strike, forcing the clinic to close.
The Indonesian Hospital was also attacked. Bulldozers reportedly blocked access and destroyed its gates. UN reports say two patients were injured trying to flee the hospital. A fire broke out the next day, and the WHO says only 15 people remain inside due to siege conditions.
Dr. Mohammad Saleha, director of Al-Awda Hospital, said his team treated 52 patients in one night. Among them was a baby with both legs crushed. “We received nine bodies — seven of them children. After 19 months of this hell, I can say one thing: no one ever gets used to seeing innocent babies killed or mutilated,” he said. “People aren’t dying because we lack skill. They’re dying because we don’t have the basics.”
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a genocide in Gaza, backed by the US, over 176,000 people have been killed or injured, most of them women and children. More than 11,000 remain missing. The siege has displaced hundreds of thousands and left the entire population facing starvation.
Israel's blockade of aid since March 2 has deepened the crisis. Food, medicine, and fuel remain trapped at border crossings. Humanitarian agencies say famine is spreading, and the destruction of hospitals is accelerating the collapse of civil life in Gaza.
