American doctors who have worked in various hospitals across Gaza have described the destruction caused by Israel’s 15-month-long assault as unlike anything they have ever witnessed in other conflict zones.

Speaking to journalists at the United Nations after meeting with Secretary-General António Guterres, they highlighted the catastrophic impact of Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s healthcare sector. Over 15 months of relentless aggression, hospitals and medical personnel have been directly targeted, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. The ongoing blockade has further crippled Gaza’s medical system, leaving patients without essential care and doctors without critical supplies.

Dr. Thaer Ahmad, a Palestinian American physician from Chicago, served at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza in January 2024. He stressed that Israeli forces have “normalized” the killing of healthcare workers. He also called for the immediate release of Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who was detained by Israel after losing his son in the war. On December 28, 2024, Israeli forces arrested Dr. Abu Safiya and set fire to Kamal Adwan Hospital, rendering it non-operational and detaining over 350 people, including medical staff and patients.

Dr. Aisha Khan, a physician at Stanford University Hospital, has worked in about 30 conflict zones worldwide but stated that she has never seen anything comparable to the devastation in Gaza. She recounted treating young children with gunshot wounds and blast injuries. She warned that thousands of children face imminent death due to starvation, urging the urgent evacuation of 2,500 critically ill children who will not survive without immediate intervention.

Other doctors echoed similar concerns. Dr. Feroza Syed described Gaza as a place of unimaginable horror, where hospitals have been deliberately attacked. At the European Hospital, where she worked, half of the 250 patients were children. She emphasized that Israel has killed one in every 20 healthcare workers in Gaza. Dr. Mahmooda Syed confirmed that Secretary-General Guterres has pledged to prioritize Dr. Abu Safiya’s case and facilitate medical evacuations. She recounted the harrowing experience of trying to treat children with gunshot wounds to the head with almost no medical supplies.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has destroyed 34 out of 38 hospitals in Gaza, leaving only four partially functional. The Israeli military has also put 80 health centers out of service and damaged 162 medical facilities. According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, at least 331 healthcare workers have been killed, including three who were executed inside Israeli prisons.

With full U.S. backing, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, resulted in over 159,000 Palestinian casualties, the majority of whom were children and women, with more than 14,000 still missing.