In the shadow of relentless war, Gaza’s healthcare system is crumbling. The siege has choked off the flow of medicines, fuel, and equipment, leaving hospitals powerless as patients die waiting for care that never comes.

Dr. Bassam Zaqout, head of Medical Relief in Gaza, described the situation as “catastrophic,” with hospitals unable to treat even the most urgent cases. Speaking from a makeshift clinic, he revealed that nearly half of all essential medicines are now unavailable. Children suffering from infections go untreated. Kidney patients die for lack of dialysis. Pharmacies are empty. “People are dying, not because they are beyond help,” he said, “but because help is no longer allowed in.”

The blockade—tightened and prolonged—has transformed curable conditions into death sentences. Medical staff report using expired drugs, operating without anaesthetics, and turning patients away. With electricity cuts worsening, even basic machines cannot function. Fuel reserves are nearly gone.

Children bear the brunt of the collapse. Malnutrition is rampant. Vaccinations have stopped. Newborns lie in incubators with failing power, while their parents beg for medicine no one has. “The world watches,” said a nurse, “but we’re losing a generation.”

As Gaza’s wounded and sick continue to die in silence, international calls for a humanitarian corridor grow louder. Yet aid remains stalled at the borders. Behind every closed crossing lies another life at risk—and a healthcare system gasping for breath.