Rick Brennan, the World Health Organization’s representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, expressed deep concern during a video press conference about the unimaginable catastrophe potentially caused by the expansion of military operations in Rafah. As the conflict enters its fifth month, the situation in Rafah, where 1.5 million people are trapped without safe refuge, is particularly alarming. The pervasive fear and panic are evident in the community, with people desperately seeking answers about what to do and where to go.
Brennan warned that a new wave of displacement and additional injuries would severely impact people’s health and mental well-being, further straining an already burdened healthcare system and pushing it towards collapse.
Currently, only three hospitals are partially operational in Rafah, supported by three field hospitals, providing a mere 450 beds in total, which is insufficient to meet the needs.
The hospitals are facing severe overcrowding and supply shortages, with healthcare workers exhausted and often cut off from their families, who receive updates on their well-being only through the news.
Repeated access restrictions and denials are significantly obstructing the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza’s residents. The WHO and the United Nations are ready to assist but require sustainable access and safety guarantees. Without these, humanitarian operations, already struggling to maintain operations, could come to a halt.
From November to February 9, only 40% of WHO missions to the north have been facilitated, with the remainder being denied, obstructed, or delayed. Approximately 45% of missions to the south were facilitated. Even without an immediate ceasefire, there is an urgent need for humanitarian corridors to continue delivering vital aid.
Ongoing attacks on healthcare facilities exacerbate the crisis. Since October 7, the WHO has documented 378 attacks in the Gaza Strip, with around 70 health workers currently detained, raising grave concerns for their safety and well-being.
The situation at the Nasser Medical Complex is particularly worrying. The hospital has been under siege since February 6, with at least ten civilians reported killed. The northern gate of the hospital has been demolished, and supply and equipment warehouses have been destroyed due to the fighting. Civilians sheltering in the hospital have been asked to evacuate, with around 402 patients reportedly inside.
Access to the hospital remains blocked, and there is no safe passage for those in need. The WHO has lost contact with the hospital staff, with their last visit to Nasser on January 29.
The deprivation of resources and access to hospitals can halt life-saving services. Nasser is a critical pillar of the health system in southern Gaza and must be protected. Humanitarian aid access must be allowed, and hospitals must be protected to perform their life-saving functions without being militarized or attacked.
Currently, only 11 hospitals are partially operational (5 in the north, 6 in the south), 3 are minimally functional, and 22 are non-operational. All hospitals are suffering from a lack of supplies.
At the European Gaza Hospital, the WHO team encountered a 7-year-old girl in need of medical evacuation, suffering from burns covering 75% of her body, unable to receive pain relief due to a shortage of morphine and other analgesics in the hospital.
At Al-Aqsa Hospital, 20-30% of patients could not leave because they had no safe place to go. Healthcare workers also reported that many patients underwent unnecessary amputations as they could not be referred for specialized surgical procedures outside Gaza. According to the Ministry of Health, at least 1,500 limb amputations have been performed in Gaza since the war began.
There is a need for organized, safe, and sustainable patient transfers to Egypt and possibly other locations via Egypt. WHO estimates that over 8,000 individuals require medical transfers out of Gaza – 6,000 related to war injuries and 2,000 to other medical conditions. Since the war’s start, only 1,243 patients have been transferred out of Gaza (798 injured and 445 with other medical conditions), along with 1,025 companions.