Written by Anushka Angle 

In October 2023, a conflict emerged between Israel and Hamas, a militant Islamist group operating in Gaza since 2006. While conflicts between Israel and Palestine have persisted for previous decades, recent attacks from both groups have exacerbated the pre-existing tensions. Hamas launched rockets into Israel and invaded towns along the border of the Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties and injuries among soldiers and civilians, as well as the taking of many hostages. In retaliation, Israel conducted intense retaliatory strikes and the government imposed a tight blockade around the Gaza Strip to prevent the flow of food and fuel, guarded by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). In southern Gaza, a pressing humanitarian crisis is emerging as these displaced individuals are in desperate need of clean drinking water, resorting to polluted sources, as they struggle to find their basic necessities of life. Furthermore, according to Omar Shakir, the Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch“Depriving the population in an occupied territory of food and electricity is collective punishment, which is a war crime.” 

The situation escalated as both sides exchanged deadly airstrikes, causing widespread suffering and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. On October 18th, a deadly blast struck Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, impacting millions of civilians, doctors and medical professionals. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded at least 34 healthcare-related attacks. The scarcity of food, clean water, essential resources and medical care have left the Gaza strip in shambles and the healthcare system is at a breaking point. 

The Blast of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital  

During the blast, panic emerged in the building where Dr. Fadel Na’eem, head of Orthopedic Department stated he was performing surgery when he heard the event sound through the hospital where staff members ran into the operating room screaming for assistance. He said “we thought it’s outside the hospital because we never thought that they would bomb the hospital.” The medical team struggled to treat those wounded or dying and were paranoid for another potential strike. The imagery of fire and bloodshed left everyone in shock and horror as the blast of this hospital has left Gaza in mental and physical distress. The ministry informed that 500 people were killed and the cause is unknown as Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike, while the Israeli military blamed a rocket misfired from other Hamas militants.

Impact of blasts on healthcare

“The smell of blood is everywhere” claims  Dr. Mohammad Mattar, head of the radiology department at Al Shifa Hospital –the Gaza Strip’s largest medical complex. With medical facilities being attacked there is not enough beds, equipment and medical staff to effectively care for those in need. In a rather grim outlook Dr. Mattar comments “there’s so much death, the hospital’s had to convert part of its ICU into a morgue.” As injuries and fatalities continue to increase, acute shortages of medical supplies already cause a limitation for the capacity of overworked hospitals to treat them. 

Treatments in areas such as obstetric care, cancer and heart diseases are disrupted due to the blatant shift in prioritizing emergency care. With the blockade, access to health services, medical supplies, clean water, food and fuel are extremely limited which puts more lives at risk. 

Electricity has been switched off in Gaza therefore the existing power from hospitals is from generators that operate on diesel, however this is one of the many difficulties that medical professionals have to face. An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Abed, who has worked many 24 hour surgery shifts has commented “with big numbers of wounded patients, the health sector is about to fail,”. Dr. Abed has been receiving many calls from individuals experiencing epilepsy, neuropathy or multiple sclerosis and have run out of their medications, however pharmacies cannot function properly due to the cutoff of medical supplies to Gaza. The preexisting health inequity that was present in Gaza has taken a turn for the worse and making everything unavailable for civilians with already pre existing conditions. Doctor’s have become part of the front line and have to serve the people in addition to worrying about the safety of their loved ones. 

“I have a career, I have dreams” says Dr. Belal Aldabbour, a clinical neurologist, however he is more importantly worried about the safety of his own family. He and his wife have created a promise to either die together or live together “hopefully it is the latter”, he says.  

Effects of Environment on People

The World Food Programme claims that 60% of Gaza’s population faces food insecurity which has been made worse under the tightened blockade. Local reports say that the existing few operating bakeries in Gaza have spanned for more than 10 hours where one man told the press he bought a kilo of bread to share among 20-30 members of his family. A main source of Gaza’s economy is the fishing industry as the Gaza Strip is a coastal region. However this has been restricted to just 10km (6 miles) from the coast from the Israeli navy so they can ensure that illegal weapons have not been smuggled into the region. With farming also blocked by Israel now 80% of Gaza is under extreme poverty and facing a major problem of malnutrition as well as dehydration as now 90% of water is deemed undrinkable from the blockade according to the Palestinian water authority. 

The collapse of buildings from the ongoing conflict is also a great cause for concern as building debris and dust can negatively affect the lungs long term. The accumulation of dust in the lungs can lead to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) which can include conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, or emphysema. In Gaza the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has discovered asbestos at many sites where debris was found. Proximity to these sites and rubble suffer a great risk from prolonged exposure to chemically and physically damaging their respiratory health. 

Conclusion. 

Not only do civilians in Gaza have to face problems at present with the current blockade of food, water and medical supplies, however the environmental conditions with building debris and poor air quality has potential to cause issues in the long run. In times of conflict, healthcare is one of the predominant facets that get impacted to the highest degree and the depletion of hospitals and healthcare facilities as a result of bombings put Gaza’s healthcare at an absolute breaking point. With the main reliance on international aid, there is some hope that ample food, clean water, medical supplies and electricity can be provided to alleviate some of the stress. With more medical supplies and electricity, the supply can meet the demand of people that need medical attention and medical staff can perform their duties effectively. The struggle between their career and the safety of their family puts doctors in a challenging position which almost serves as an ultimatum, however it is only up to them to treat the ongoing number of people in need. The ramifications of war highlight the inequities present in healthcare, but in times like these the support of others is extremely crucial to mediate some of the negative effects.

Edited by Elizabeth Abraham