By Bunmi Yekini
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a grave warning today that Gaza’s health system is on the brink of collapse, as the last two functioning public hospitals in Khan Younis, Nasser Medical Complex and Al-Amal Hospital, are at imminent risk of becoming non-functional.
With all hospitals in northern Gaza already out of service, the loss of these two critical facilities would leave much of the population without access to life-saving medical care.
“These are not just buildings. They are lifelines for thousands,” said Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. “If Nasser and Al-Amal go down, people with life-threatening injuries, cancer, kidney failure, they will have nowhere to go.”
Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals, already operating beyond their capacity, are located within or just outside the evacuation zone announced by Israeli authorities on June 2. Although no evacuation orders have been given to hospital staff, Israel has informed Gaza’s Ministry of Health that access routes to both hospitals will be obstructed.
“This effectively means that patients and medical teams may not be able to reach the hospitals at all,” said WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris. “We are deeply concerned that the inability to safely resupply or transfer patients will soon render these hospitals non-functional.”
The collapse would result in the loss of 490 hospital beds, reducing the total number of functional beds in Gaza to fewer than 1,400 — a 40% drop since the beginning of the war. With a population of around 2 million, the health system is already overwhelmed by critical shortages of medicines, fuel, and surgical supplies.
“People are coming in with horrific injuries, and there aren’t enough beds, supplies, or staff to treat them,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, a surgeon currently working at Nasser Hospital. “We are choosing who to save and who to let die.”
WHO has called for immediate international intervention to protect health facilities and ensure the delivery of medical aid.
“The relentless and systematic decimation of Gaza’s hospitals has gone on for too long. It must end now,” the agency stated. “Hospitals must never be militarized or targeted. They are protected under international law.”
WHO is demanding urgent action to:
- Guarantee the protection and functioning of Nasser and Al-Amal hospitals
- Expedite the delivery of essential medicines and medical supplies into Gaza
- Ensure safe humanitarian access through all available routes
- Achieve an immediate and lasting ceasefire
As the crisis deepens, WHO warns that every hour of inaction puts more lives at risk.
“Patients must not die on the road trying to reach a hospital,” said Dr. Peeperkorn. “They must be able to survive inside