FOUR hospitals in northern Gaza have been forced to shut down this month as Israel’s military offensive in Gaza City continues, leaving only 14 functioning hospitals across the entire Palestinian enclave, the World Health Organisation has announced.
The closures — affecting Al Rantisi Children’s Hospital, the Ophthalmic Hospital, St. John Eye Hospital, and Hamad Hospital for Rehabilitation and Prosthetics — further cripple Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system as Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City to target Hamas fighters.
“The situation at the remaining eight hospitals and one field hospital in the city is critical,” said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic during a press briefing in Geneva.
Gaza City serves as the backbone of the territory’s healthcare infrastructure, housing nearly half of all hospitals and field hospitals in the strip. The ongoing Israeli military operations and repeated evacuation orders have displaced hundreds of thousands of residents and disrupted hundreds of health facilities.
Al Rantisi Hospital, Gaza’s only remaining specialised pediatric facility, suffered severe damage from a direct strike on September 16 while treating 80 patients. Though no deaths were reported, the attack damaged water systems, communications equipment, and medical devices. About 40 patients remain in the facility, including four children in intensive care and eight newborns.
Hamad Hospital, one of Gaza’s three main rehabilitation centres, had been serving 250 outpatients daily and treating about 200 patients at its trauma stabilisation unit before closing.
The hospital shutdowns come as remaining medical facilities struggle under an overwhelming influx of casualties from ongoing strikes while simultaneously treating non-trauma patients. According to the WHO, 11 of 12 reported healthcare attacks between September 7 and 17 occurred in Gaza City.
“Even if hospitals are not asked to evacuate, there is a lack of access, there is violence just nearby and that can put them out of service,” Jasarevic explained.
The remaining hospitals — eight in Gaza City, three in Deir al Balah, and three in Khan Younis — are operating below full capacity. Southern hospitals are “overwhelmed and can’t absorb more” patients, the WHO warned.
More than 15,000 Palestinians require medical evacuation for specialised care outside Gaza, but evacuations are proceeding “very, very slowly,” according to WHO officials. The organisation renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to support what remains of Gaza’s healthcare system.
