Amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) revealed on Sunday that its healthcare facilities have significantly dwindled from 22 to seven operational centers due to the devastating impact of the Israeli assault on Gaza.
The United Nations estimates that approximately 50,000 pregnant women are facing heightened risks to their health, with over 180 daily births occurring amidst a severely compromised healthcare system.
Expressing concern, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, decried the “decimation” of Gaza’s health system while acknowledging the resilience of health professionals working under extreme circumstances.
As healthcare needs surge, only 38 percent of pre-conflict hospital beds remain available in Gaza, with a mere 30 percent of the original health staff still on duty. Hospitals, protected by international humanitarian law, have faced repeated Israeli strikes during the conflict.
The WHO reported 246 Israeli attacks on healthcare infrastructure in Gaza as of December 20, including hospitals and ambulances, exacerbating an already dire situation.
Two badly damaged hospitals in northern Gaza, visited by WHO teams, revealed “unbearable” scenes of largely abandoned patients pleading for food and water. Only nine out of 36 hospitals are partially functional in the besieged territory.
As the conflict persists, approximately 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, seeking shelter in UN schools or makeshift tents.
Pregnant women face heightened risks, and the overall toll of the 11-week war includes at least 20,424 Palestinians killed and tens of thousands wounded, with many bodies trapped under rubble.
