In the early hours of Friday morning, armed assailants stormed the American field hospital run by the International Medical Corps in Al-Zawaida, central Gaza. The attackers looted vital medical equipment, medication, and food supplements meant for malnourished children an act widely condemned by Palestinian civil society.

The Palestinian NGO Network called the assault a “heinous and unprecedented crime,” warning it only deepens the suffering of a population already enduring relentless Israeli bombardment, starvation, and a total blockade. In a statement, the network stressed that such actions betray the values of Palestinian society and serve only to fuel the occupation’s narrative.

With most hospitals in Gaza out of service and humanitarian supplies blocked at the borders, the destruction of one of the few remaining medical facilities is a devastating blow. The collapse of law and order is not accidental, the group asserted, but a consequence of Israel’s blockade, which has now stretched into its third month crippling healthcare and fraying Gaza’s social fabric.

As the humanitarian crisis spirals, Palestinian NGOs are calling on the international community to act swiftly. Opening the crossings and restoring the flow of humanitarian aid is not just urgent it is a matter of life or death.