Geneva, SANA — The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Gaza’s health system is operating at less than half its capacity and risks total collapse as Israeli military attacks intensify.
WHO’s representative in Palestine, Rik Peeperkorn, said the situation has reached “horrific” levels, citing the Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital on August 25 that killed at least 20 civilians, including five journalists, and wounded more than 50 others. “Targeting Gaza’s largest and most important hospital is deeply concerning,” he noted.
Peeperkorn explained that Gaza’s three main hospitals—Al-Ahli, Al-Shifa, and Nasser—are functioning at three times their capacity while struggling with shortages of staff, equipment, and medicine. The crippled health network must still serve over 2.1 million people.
The crisis extends beyond healthcare. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, famine conditions have taken hold in Gaza City, with more than half a million people in the north facing extreme hunger, poverty, and risk of death.
WHO and humanitarian agencies warn that without urgent international support, Gaza faces an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
