Their message is simple: Hospitals have been destroyed, doctors and healthcare workers have been targeted, killed, and kidnapped, and tens of thousands of patients have been killed by Israeli forces. This crosses a red line. The UK government must act now to put an end to these atrocities.
The call to action has been organised by a coalition including Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), War Child, Oxfam, Medical Aid for Palestinians, British Medical Association, Choose Love, Doctors of the World, Quakers in Britain, Christian Aid, All We Can, and Humanity and Inclusion.
Hospitals destroyed or degraded
As of May 23, 2025, the UN reported that at least 94% of Gaza’s hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, with about half completely non-operational. That’s nearly 34 out of 36 hospitals affected—including multiple major facilities shut down in a single week.
WHO data confirms four major hospitals (Kamal Adwan, Indonesian Hospital, Hamad Hospital, European Gaza Hospital) suspended services in a short span due to direct attacks or evacuation orders.
As of early February 2025, only 18 of 36 hospitals remained functional—mostly with limited emergency services.
Attacks on hospitals and facilities
Between October 2023 and June 2024, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented at least 136 strikes on 27 hospitals, plus 12 other medical facilities .
The WHO confirmed 697 attacks on health care in the same period .
Death tolls at or around hospitals
The UN reports significant casualties among staff and patients from these strikes, describing hospitals “death traps”
UNRWA data through January 30, 2024, noted 342 attacks on health facilities, including 27 hospitals, resulting in 627 killed and 783 injured.
By June 2024, the WHO had confirmed over 500 medical professionals killed in Gaza, per OHCHR reporting.
More recent news puts the toll over 1,400 to 1,580 healthcare workers killed since October 2023.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly all hospitals in Gaza are damaged, with the majority merely partially functional or fully shut down.
- Hundreds of medical facility strikes have been independently confirmed—an unusually high number per population size.
- Tens to hundreds have died directly in these attacks, including both patients and healthcare personnel.
- The medical staff death toll exceeds 1,400, reaching around 1,580, a humanitarian tragedy.
- These figures come from multiple UN entities and aid watchdogs, with findings indicating:
- Destruction of health infrastructure at unprecedented scale.
- Loss of hospitals even when partially functional.
- Substantial civilian and medical staff casualties.
- Ongoing collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system.
Pic . Hosny Salah (Palestinian photographer currently living in Palestine Gaza Strip) – Pixabay
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