RAMALLAH, Palestine/ANKARA

Gaza’s Health Ministry raised the alarm on Thursday over an imminent collapse of the healthcare sector in the enclave amid relentless Israeli bombardment.

"The continued and escalating Israeli aggression has led to a near-total collapse of the health system, at a time when medical and humanitarian needs are increasing at an unprecedented level,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry warned that hospitals and health facilities across Gaza operate beyond their capacity.

“There is a severe shortage of medicine, medical supplies, and fuel to operate equipment and generators, threatening the lives of thousands of patients and wounded, especially children, pregnant women, and the elderly."

The ministry appealed to the international community "to act quickly and pressure the Israeli occupation to immediately open Gaza’s crossings and allow the entry of medicine, medical supplies, and fuel without delay."

It also called for the dispatch of international medical teams “to support exhausted medical staff in hospitals operating under harsh and inhumane conditions.”

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to escalate attacks on Gaza amid efforts to implement US President Donald Trump's plan to displace Palestinians from the enclave.

Israel began a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18, and has since killed more than 1,000 victims and injured over 2,500, shattering a January ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

More than 50,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in Israel's military onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.