'Gaza’s healthcare system is a broken shell, barely functioning': MSF doctor

ISTANBUL

Gaza's healthcare system is a "broken shell" and "barely functioning," French medical charity Doctors Without Borders' (MSF) deputy medical coordinator in the enclave said in a statement on Thursday.

"Gaza’s healthcare system is a broken shell, barely functioning, crushed by the deliberate destruction of every aspect of life here, including the very institutions meant to save lives," said Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaisib.

He said the MSF's medical facilities see an "unprecedented" flood of patients and described the "so-called" food distribution points supported by Israel through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as a "new horror."

"Places that are supposed to support starving Palestinians have become killing fields. The attacks at these sites are increasing the daily influx of wounded people, as Israeli forces open fire on civilians gathering for food," Abu Mughaisib added.

He pointed out that every hospital is overrun, and many people die before they can even reach the hospitals, while others bleed for hours in overcrowded emergency rooms.

"Wounds that would be treatable anywhere else become death sentences here," he stressed.

Overwhelmed by patient numbers, collapsing supply chains, deepening hunger, and the targeting of civilians, Abu Mughaisib said that Gaza's "already fragile" health system is "barely surviving."

"For the 675th time in this war, I say it again: Without an immediate ceasefire, without sustained medical and humanitarian access, there will be nothing left to save. Not the hospitals. Not the patients. Not the future," he added.

The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal war in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing more than 61,700 Palestinians.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.