Gaza Herald — The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Monday that two major hospitals, the Rantisi Children’s Hospital and the Eye Hospital, have been forced entirely out of service following relentless Israeli attacks on their surrounding areas. In addition, a medical relief center in Gaza City was destroyed, further crippling the Strip’s already decimated healthcare system.
In a press statement, the ministry detailed that Rantisi Hospital, Gaza’s main pediatric facility, had been directly struck by Israeli bombardment only days ago, causing severe structural damage and rendering it incapable of treating patients. The Eye Hospital, the only public hospital specializing in ophthalmology across Gaza Governorate, also ceased operations after sustaining damage and losing critical access to its services. Together, the loss of these hospitals marks a devastating blow to medical care in the enclave, depriving children and patients with eye diseases of lifesaving treatment.
The Health Ministry accused the Israeli occupation army of “deliberately and systematically targeting the healthcare system in the Gaza Governorate as part of the genocide being waged against the Strip.” It stressed that no safe passages remain for patients or the wounded to reach functioning medical centers, noting that even efforts to access the Jordanian Field Hospital and Al-Quds Hospital have become nearly impossible under constant bombardment and sniper fire.
The ministry renewed its urgent appeal to the international community, United Nations agencies, and humanitarian organizations to intervene and provide protection for Gaza’s collapsing health sector and its workers. It warned that without immediate international action, thousands of patients risk death, not only from injuries sustained in the bombings but also from untreated chronic illnesses and preventable conditions.
Kuwait Field Hospital Struggling
On Sunday, the Kuwait Specialized Field Hospital in Al-Mawasi, a so-called “safe zone” now overcrowded with nearly one million displaced Palestinians, announced it had suspended all scheduled surgeries. The hospital reported that it will only conduct life-saving operations due to extreme shortages of medicines, anesthesia, and surgical supplies. Doctors there warned that patients awaiting urgent but non-immediate procedures, such as cancer operations and advanced treatments, are being left to die slowly.
WHO: Systematic Destruction of Healthcare
The World Health Organization (WHO) has repeatedly confirmed that Israeli forces are carrying out a systematic campaign to dismantle Gaza’s healthcare system by bombing hospitals, striking ambulances and relief centers, and threatening the lives of both staff and patients. WHO emphasized that these actions could amount to war crimes under international law.
“The impact of this genocidal war extends beyond direct attacks,” WHO stated, highlighting that Israel’s total blockade on Gaza, including restrictions on fuel, water, food, and medical supplies, has “tightened the noose” on an already devastated population. It warned that the remaining hospitals are severely overcrowded and critically undersupplied, with patients suffering and dying from otherwise preventable causes.
Starvation and Famine Conditions
The humanitarian crisis is being compounded by deliberate starvation policies. WHO reported that famine has already been declared in parts of Gaza, noting that 25% of pregnant or breastfeeding women examined in recent surveys are suffering from malnutrition. This crisis is leading to a sharp rise in fetal deaths, miscarriages, premature births, and long-term health complications for infants and mothers alike.
Public health experts caution that the collapse of medical services, combined with widespread malnutrition, will have generational consequences, potentially leaving thousands of children with permanent disabilities, trauma, and chronic illnesses.
A Collapsing System Under Siege
The destruction of Rantisi and the Eye Hospital adds to a long list of medical facilities systematically targeted over the course of Israel’s nearly two-year genocidal assault on Gaza. Hospitals such as Al-Shifa, Nasser, and Indonesian Hospital have been repeatedly bombed, besieged, or stormed by Israeli troops, leading to massacres of patients and medical staff.
With every attack, Gaza’s healthcare capacity shrinks further, leaving its 2.1 million residents with virtually no access to adequate care. Doctors on the ground warn that the Strip is on the verge of a complete medical collapse, describing the situation as “a death sentence for thousands who could otherwise survive.”
