The Guardian and international health organisations have warned of an unprecedented health disaster in Gaza, where antibiotic-resistant diseases are spreading rapidly under the weight of Israel’s ongoing blockade and the destruction of its health system.

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases revealed that two-thirds of samples taken from Gaza’s main hospital over the past ten months contained treatment-resistant bacteria, making routine infections potentially fatal. Tens of thousands of wounded, weakened by hunger and polluted water, now face the risk of slow death or amputations without medical care.

Médecins Sans Frontières stressed that the collapse of vaccination programmes and Israel’s repeated targeting of hospitals and water facilities have driven the crisis to catastrophic levels. With most laboratories destroyed and many doctors killed, the true scale of the disaster is impossible to measure.

The World Health Organization described Gaza’s health system as “catastrophic,” with only half of hospitals partially functioning, bed occupancy exceeding 300% in some facilities, and more than half of essential medicines completely depleted. Aid agencies warn that unless Israel lifts its restrictions on humanitarian access, mass deaths, particularly among children, are inevitable.