Gaza Herald – Hospitals across Gaza City are under extreme strain as the death toll and number of injured continue to rise amid Israel’s relentless bombardment. Front-line medical facilities, including al-Ahli Arab Hospital and al-Shifa Hospital, are overwhelmed, with doctors warning that they are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of casualties.
Medical teams describe harrowing scenes: emergency wards overflowing with patients, corridors filled with the wounded, and critical supplies of medicine, blood, and fuel for generators running dangerously low. Doctors and nurses are working around the clock, often skipping rest, while volunteers help carry the injured into hospitals when stretchers are unavailable. In Deir el-Balah, for instance, volunteers have been forced to lift the wounded onto their backs or shoulders due to the shortage of proper medical equipment.
“The pressure is immense,” one doctor at al-Shifa Hospital said. “Every minute, more people arrive with severe injuries. We have more patients than we can treat. We are trying to save as many lives as possible, but our resources are limited.”
According to Gaza’s health authorities, tens of thousands of civilians have been wounded since the latest escalation began. Children, women, and the elderly are among the hardest hit, many of whom arrive with life-threatening injuries from collapsed buildings or direct airstrikes. Hospitals are now operating beyond capacity, creating a situation in which medical teams must make impossible decisions about who receives immediate care.
Growing Health Crisis
The health crisis is compounded by the long-standing blockade and repeated military assaults that have weakened Gaza’s medical infrastructure. Fuel shortages make it difficult to operate life-saving equipment, while intermittent electricity cuts hinder surgeries, intensive care, and refrigeration of essential medicines.
“This is not just a medical crisis; it is a humanitarian catastrophe,” the doctor added. “Civilians are bearing the brunt of a campaign that leaves no safe place in Gaza City. We are fighting to save lives, but every hour brings more casualties than we can handle.”
International humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that the situation in Gaza’s hospitals is reaching a breaking point. The collapse of medical services would mean that even treatable injuries could become fatal, as front-line facilities struggle to respond to the relentless bombardment and protect civilians trapped in the crossfire.
