One year after Israeli forces abducted Dr. Ahmed Muhanna, the director of Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza, the lack of information about his status exemplifies a worsening crisis for health workers in Palestine. In the same period that Dr. Muhanna’s colleagues marked 365 days without answers, Israeli forces killed a nurse and Dr. Saeed Judeh, northern Gaza’s last orthopedic specialist, during attacks in the proximity of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Read more: Palestinian and international networks demand Israel release hospital director Dr. Ahmed Muhanna
Several more health staff were injured in the assaults on Kamal Adwan, which, according to its director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, occurred on a near-daily basis between December 11 and 17. These strikes caused extensive damage to the hospital’s building, including patient rooms and water tanks, and put some of its departments, including surgical and maternal care, out of service. During the night between December 17 and 18, yet another attack resulted in a fire breaking out in the intensive care unit (ICU), breaking it down. This was the last functioning ICU in northern Gaza.
United Nations staff who managed to visit the hospital backed up local observations. Reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) addressed the “indescribable” fear among those sheltering at the hospital and the “simply appalling” conditions they endure. For the umpteenth time, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an immediate ceasefire, stating that it is time “for this hell to stop.”
Meanwhile, health infrastructure in central and southern regions has also come under attack. On December 15, a strike on a school used as a shelter for the forcibly displaced overwhelmed the emergency department at Nasser Medical Complex. International volunteers from Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported a sudden influx of injured patients, the majority of whom were children, women, and elderly people.
“I lost count of the number of patients that came in with injuries I’ve never seen in my entire career,” one of them stated. “I counted at least 18 victims who died in the emergency department, of these were 12 children under the age of 12 years old.” Another health worker added that some of the injured “just turned up gasping and then died.”
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The ongoing Israeli violence in Gaza has taken a devastating toll on the health of women and children. The UN reports a high prevalence of urinary tract infections among women, delayed cancer diagnoses, as well as hysterectomies being performed instead of treatments for uterine bleeding, as a result of the shortage of supplies and the destruction of diagnostic capacities. For children, the psychological scars run deep. A recent survey conducted among households with injured members revealed that 96% of children believe death is imminent, and 49% express a desire to die.
The feeling of dread in Gaza is further compounded by hunger and the rampant spread of infectious diseases, which are expected to worsen even more during the winter months. By November 17, 2024, health authorities had recorded 1.2 million cases of acute respiratory infections, 570,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea, and 114,000 cases of acute jaundice syndrome, among other communicable illnesses. The WHO has warned that the combination of soaring malnutrition rates and the cold season will likely lead to more severe outcomes, especially for children, reaffirming the urgent need for a ceasefire and delivery of supplies to Gaza.
People’s Health Dispatch is a fortnightly bulletin published by the People’s Health Movement and Peoples Dispatch. For more articles and subscription to People’s Health Dispatch, click here.
