India, June 18 — Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure is on the verge of collapse, repeatedly strained by the large number of casualties occurring near aid distribution zones, the United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday.We’re constantly balancing on the edge between functioning operations and complete catastrophe,” stated Dr. Thanos Gargavanis, a WHO trauma surgeon and emergency officer, speaking from within the region.The veteran UN doctor’s remarks followed fresh reports on Tuesday morning of additional Palestinian fatalities while attempting to collect food, this time near an aid distribution point in Khan Younis, located in southern Gaza.The incident resulted in “hundreds of casualties, completely overwhelming the Nasser Medical Complex,” stated Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory.According to Dr. Peeperkorn, healthcare services across Gaza are now “barely functioning” and extremely hard to reach, with evacuation orders covering over 80 percent of the region.“The constantly shrinking humanitarian space makes every medical effort more challenging than the day before,” added Dr. Gargavanis.Nasser Medical Complex, the largest referral hospital in Gaza and the only major facility still operational in Khan Younis, lies within the evacuation area designated by the Israeli military on June 12.The nearby Al-Amal Hospital, run by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), is still offering care to patients already admitted, but cannot take in any new cases due to the continued military activity in the area.“It’s what we refer to as a minimally functioning hospital,” said Dr. Peeperkorn.At present, only 17 out of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are partially operational. Medical supplies are running dangerously low, and fuel has not been delivered to the region in over 100 days.This latest mass casualty incident is yet another in a growing list of tragedies involving Palestinians attempting to receive aid amid tight restrictions on humanitarian supplies entering Gaza, enforced by Israel.On Monday alone, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Al Mawasi received more than 200 patients — its highest number during a single mass casualty event. Dr. Peeperkorn emphasized the urgent need for the WHO to be allowed to deliver medical supplies into Gaza through “all available routes” in a timely and cost-efficient way to avoid more medical service disruptions. He noted that 33 WHO supply trucks are currently stationed in Al Arish, Egypt, awaiting clearance to enter the enclave, while an additional 15 are on standby in the occupied West Bank.
Gaza’s health system is at breaking point, says WHO
