Only 19 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are operating partially and providing limited services, out of 38 hospitals that existed before the war began 3 years ago, amid declining bed capacity, shortages of medicines and most diagnostic equipment being out of service, according to figures presented by Zahir al-Wahidi, director of the Information Centre at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Strip.
Five government hospitals bear the burden of the Strip
Al-Wahidi said 5 major government hospitals among the facilities still operating are bearing most of the pressure, whether receiving patients, performing operations or providing health services. These hospitals face growing needs that exceed their current capacity, as the number of facilities able to receive cases and provide the necessary care continues to decline.
Al-Wahidi said the number of Palestinians killed during the war had exceeded 74,250. The toll includes more than 11,300 women and more than 1,200 children aged under one year, as well as more than 650 children who were born during the war and later killed. He said women, children and older people were among the groups worst affected.
Fewer beds and diagnostic equipment out of service
Bed capacity in Gaza Strip hospitals has fallen from 3412 beds before the war to fewer than 2600 currently. Of the total beds available, no more than 1070 are in government hospitals, despite the continuing need to receive growing numbers of patients and wounded people, perform operations and provide care for chronic cases. The decline has also affected medical diagnostic equipment.
Medicine shortages threaten patients with chronic diseases
This comes as operating facilities face shortages of medical equipment and supplies, alongside mounting pressure on the remaining staff and services. Regarding medicine stocks, al-Wahidi said those available in the Gaza Strip amounted to no more than around 45% of the required items.
The shortage particularly affects patients who need regular and continuous treatment, foremost among them people with diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. There are around 12,000 cancer patients in the Strip, including approximately 8,000 active cases requiring treatment and medical follow-up. Around 2,800 patients are awaiting referrals to receive treatment outside Gaza because of the limited medical and therapeutic capacity available inside the Strip.
Cancer treatment protocols face medicine shortages
Al-Wahidi said shortages of cancer medicines were preventing the completion of patients' prescribed treatment protocols. He explained that some chemotherapy programmes require 3 or 4 types of medicine as part of an integrated protocol, but the unavailability of all the required types sometimes forces medical teams to provide incomplete protocols.
He added that incomplete treatment may lose its effectiveness and fail to produce the desired result. Alongside essential treatment medicines, cancer patients are also facing shortages of painkillers, suppressants and palliative medicines used to control pain and alleviate their suffering.
Treatment gaps are not limited to medicines, as the Strip lacks sufficient capacity to provide chemotherapy and radiotherapy, as well as the diagnostic equipment needed to monitor cancer patients' conditions and assess their response to treatment. Al-Wahidi said thousands of patients needed medical evacuation to receive services unavailable inside Gaza.
The crisis follows extensive destruction of hospitals and health facilities during the war, amid accusations that Israel deliberately targeted them, reducing the facilities' ability to provide services, particularly to cancer and chronic disease patients.
Israel also faces accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement in force since 10 October 2025 and failing to fulfil its obligations to fully open the crossings and allow in the agreed quantities of food, relief and medical aid and fuel.
