As the world marks 300 days of relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the enclave is teetering on the edge of total collapse. The nearly ten-month-long military campaign has transformed what was once a densely populated region into a wasteland where survival is becoming increasingly impossible. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, tens of thousands more are injured or displaced, and the humanitarian crisis is deepening by the hour.
The ongoing Israeli military offensive has decimated Gaza’s infrastructure, rendering essential services virtually non-existent. Hospitals, schools, and homes have been obliterated, and the remaining medical facilities are overwhelmed and under-resourced. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that even basic humanitarian efforts, like blood donations, are being thwarted by the severe malnutrition and disease that have gripped the population.
Al-Awda Hospital, located in northern Gaza, is one of the few medical facilities still partially functioning amid the devastation. Recently, the hospital faced an unprecedented crisis when many of those who came forward to donate blood were turned away—not because of a lack of willingness, but because they were too malnourished to give blood.
“Frankly, there is a shortage in the quantities and units of blood… because people are suffering from malnutrition, specifically in the northern Gaza Strip,” said Dr. Mohammed Salha, acting director of Al-Awda Hospital. “Blood tests are carried out on people who come to donate and there is a large percentage of [people who come to donate blood] who are [already] suffering from malnutrition, so blood units are not drawn from them to use as donations for the wounded and sick.”
Malnutrition is not the only issue plaguing Gaza’s residents. The extreme overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions, exacerbated by the destruction of homes and displacement of more than two million people, have created a breeding ground for disease. Viral hepatitis, lice, scabies, and skin rashes are spreading rapidly throughout the enclave, with hospitals like Al-Awda overwhelmed by the influx of patients.
The situation has become so dire that Gaza’s Health Ministry recently declared the area a “polio epidemic zone,” warning that the highly contagious disease could spread beyond Gaza’s borders. Six strains of the poliovirus have been detected in environmental samples, including in sewage flowing between makeshift tents where displaced people are living in squalor.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the conditions in Gaza as a “perfect breeding ground for disease,” with a sharp rise in cases of acute respiratory infections, acute watery diarrhea, and jaundice. The lack of access to clean water and hygiene products is further exacerbating the crisis, leaving residents with little means to protect themselves from the rampant spread of illness.
In addition to the spread of diseases, the destruction of Gaza’s water and sanitation infrastructure has left the population with less than five liters of water per person per day for all their needs, far below the minimum standard for basic hygiene. Oxfam reported that Israeli attacks have destroyed or damaged an average of five water and sanitation infrastructure sites every three days since the crisis began. Last week, Israeli forces bombed the Tal Sultan Water Reservoir, the main source of drinking water in Rafah, further compounding the humanitarian disaster.
Humanitarian organizations, including ActionAid, are doing everything in their power to provide aid to those in need, but they face enormous challenges. Arwa, a mother displaced with her young children in Gaza, described the dire conditions her family is enduring. “I have little ones who are starting to get lice. There is no shampoo or anything to use to wash the children… A rash has appeared on my children, as well as lice and head lice. We need personal care items so we can keep our children clean. We need authorities to provide us with aid. We need clean water… We demand an end to the war so that we can return to our homes and to the clean conditions that we had.”
The accumulation of hazardous waste and sewage in the streets has led to the emergence of more than 140 temporary dumping sites, as Gaza’s two major landfill sites are inaccessible. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently warned of serious public health consequences, including a spike in cases of diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, due to the collapse of Gaza’s solid waste management system.
As the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, the prospects of a cease-fire agreement appear increasingly remote. Israel’s fresh assassination campaign, widely seen as an attempt by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sabotage truce negotiations, has only intensified the crisis. Despite calls from international humanitarian organizations for an immediate cease-fire, U.S. President Joe Biden has shown little willingness to pressure Israel, continuing to approve arms sales to its military.
“The world must not normalize the horrors we are witnessing in Gaza,” said Rohan Talbot, director of advocacy and campaigns with the U.K.-based group Medical Aid for Palestinians. “Governments, including the U.K. government, must immediately cease arms transfers to Israel and redouble efforts to secure a permanent cease-fire. Any delay will be measured not in days, but in Palestinian lives.”
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