Gaza Herald – More than 70% of healthcare facilities across the Gaza Strip have been forced out of service, further deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian and medical crisis affecting more than two million Palestinians.
The ongoing Israeli attack on medical infrastructure has severely limited access to essential healthcare services, leaving hospitals and clinics struggling to cope with overwhelming needs amid shortages of medicine, equipment, fuel, and medical personnel.
Among the latest losses are the headquarters of the Blood Bank Association in Khan Younis and Rafah, both of which have been destroyed. The association’s main headquarters in Gaza City has also suffered extensive damage, significantly disrupting its ability to collect, store, and distribute blood supplies to healthcare facilities across the territory.
Medical and humanitarian organizations warn that the collapse of blood banking services poses an additional threat to patients requiring emergency surgeries, trauma care, cancer treatment, and other lifesaving medical interventions.
The healthcare sector in Gaza has faced unprecedented challenges throughout the Israeli war, with repeated attacks, infrastructure damage, and severe restrictions on the entry of medical supplies contributing to the deterioration of services. Many hospitals continue to operate only partially, while others have ceased functioning entirely due to destruction, evacuation orders, or shortages of resources.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly stressed that the destruction of medical facilities and support services undermines the ability of healthcare workers to respond to growing needs and places thousands of lives at risk. Patients with chronic illnesses, those requiring specialized treatment, and Palestinians injured during hostilities remain among the most vulnerable.
