User:CarmenEsparzaAmoux/sandbox

Destruction of the Gaza Strip healthcare system

"systematically destroying Gaza’s health infrastructure in order to drive Palestinians out of their homes." "It’s not just about targeting the buildings, it’s about systematically destroying the infrastructure of the hospitals. Destroying the oxygen tanks at the al-Shifa hospital, deliberately destroying the CT scanners and making it much more difficult to rebuild that infrastructure. If it was just targeting Hamas militants, why are they deliberately destroying the infrastructure of these institutions?" The UN says none of Gaza’s 36 hospitals is fully functional. A dozen are partially working and the others are destroyed. On Monday, the Israeli military again raided the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Medical staff said the IDF killed and arrested Palestinians inside the hospital. The crisis in the hospitals has been compounded by the killing or arrest of hundreds of healthcare workers by the Israeli military. Palestinian medical staff in Gaza have told the BBC they were blindfolded, detained, forced to strip and repeatedly beaten by Israeli troops after a raid at their hospital last month. Doctors Without Borders stated they had closed a primary care facility in al-Mawasi, stating, "This is the second health facility we have been forced to close this week and another step in Israel’s systematic dismantling of Gaza’s health system." In May 2024, more than 30 states condemned Israel's attacks on Gaza's health system. Dr Dorotea Gucciardo from Glia stated, "What we’ve been witnessing since October is a complete systematic destruction of hospitals by the Israeli military, starting in the north and working their way to the south". "Israeli forces are committing “brutal massacres regularly” and “destroying” the health system across the Gaza Strip."

Doctors Without Borders stated, "With the insane escalation of violence in various locations in the Gaza Strip over the last 48 hours, and while the Rafah crossing point has remained closed for a month, the health system has been stretched to the point of collapse. The situation is apocalyptic." "without a significant refill of medical supplies in the coming days" the NGO may have to "stop or drastically reduce some of its medical activities in Gaza".

Evacuations
"The Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, one of the territory’s last standing hospitals, is within the evacuation zone. It has transferred patients, including those in intensive care and babies in incubators, and medical equipment to other facilities “in fear of bloodshed,” according to the hospital’s deputy director and doctors." WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated the Gaza European Hospital was "completely empty", after the hospital cancelled all scheduled surgeries and evacuated its staff and 400 patients. During the July 2024 evacuation of Gaza City, the al-Ahli Arab Hospital was evacuated. A witness stated quadcopters flew as patients evacuated, stating, "Such a painful scene of mass exodus … there were patients evacuated on their hospital beds with their drips on."

Medical supplies
a surgeon at Al-Ahli hospital stated, "anaesthesia is not available, but in order to save the lives of citizens, we resort to amputation, and this causes severe pain for the wounded". In July 2024, Israeli evacuation orders in northern Gaza strained the existing medical facilities, as they struggled to access fuel and medical supplies. Doctors Without Borders warned of the lack of available anesthesia, stating, "If we have to continue going like this... we won't be able to operate. We won't operate without anaesthesia".

Medical equipment
By June 2024, hospitals in Gaza could not operate at full capacity due to their damaged equipment.

Reactions
"Most of the doctors and nurses on the mission are experienced conflict zone volunteers. But Ghanem says they have never seen anything like this." In June 2024, the UN Human Rights Office discussed the killing of health workers in Gaza, stating, "These killings have occurred against the backdrop of systematic attacks on hospitals and other medical facilities in violation of the laws of war". In July 2024, Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury condemned the forced closure and evacuation of the Al Ahli Hospital, stating, "In the face of intense Israeli bombardment, this closure puts injured and sick people in even greater danger".