Gaza is facing a devastating health crisis as Israeli bombardment and blockade dismantle the Strip’s fragile medical system, leaving thousands vulnerable to deadly infections and preventable deaths.

A recent study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases found that two-thirds of medical samples collected in Gaza contained drug-resistant bacteria, a direct consequence of the collapse of hospitals and laboratories under constant Israeli attacks. For countless wounded civilians, this means infections that were once treatable now threaten to claim their lives.

Doctors in Gaza warn that malnutrition, contaminated water, and the destruction of vaccination programmes have created conditions where children and the elderly are particularly at risk. Médecins Sans Frontières has described the crisis as “far beyond catastrophic”, stressing that the scale of suffering cannot even be fully recorded because so many medical facilities have been reduced to rubble and health workers killed.

The World Health Organization reports that only half of Gaza’s hospitals remain barely functional, with bed occupancy rates surpassing 300% and essential medicines exhausted. Aid groups warn that unless Israel lifts its blockade and allows the unrestricted entry of medical supplies, Gaza could face mass deaths from disease, compounding the devastation already caused by war.