Gaza, MINA – Only six out of 22 health centers run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) remain operational in the Gaza Strip, the agency announced Tuesday, as Israeli bombardments continue to devastate the region’s already fragile healthcare system, Palestine Information Center reported.
In a statement shared on X, UNRWA reported that the remaining clinics are operating both within and outside displacement shelters, despite an alarming shortage of essential medical supplies. The agency urgently called for the immediate and unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, warning that without it, the situation could further deteriorate.
The announcement comes amid a deepening humanitarian crisis fueled by the ongoing siege and repeated Israeli airstrikes. In the last two weeks alone, UNRWA and independent investigations have recorded dozens of attacks on health infrastructure that was already overwhelmed.
An investigation by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have carried out at least 36 separate attacks on medical facilities during the current military escalation. Last week alone, ten hospitals and clinics were struck, rendering many partially or entirely out of service.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) echoed these findings, stating that Gaza’s health system is now on the verge of total collapse. WHO estimates that around 94% of hospitals in Gaza have been severely damaged or destroyed, leaving only a small number of facilities struggling to serve over two million residents.
Compounding the crisis, since March 2, Israeli authorities have enforced a near-total blockade on Gaza’s border crossings, effectively preventing the entry of food, fuel, water, and medical supplies. Humanitarian organizations report that this has led to widespread suffering and famine-like conditions across the besieged enclave.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, the Israeli military campaign, backed by US political and military support has killed or injured over 177,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children. More than 11,000 people remain buried under the rubble, and hundreds of thousands have been forcibly displaced since the start of the war on October 7, 2023.
Human rights organizations and international legal experts have condemned the systematic targeting of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, warning that the deliberate starvation of the population and destruction of the health system may constitute war crimes and acts of genocide under international law. []
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