Infectious diseases ‘spiraling out of control’ in Gaza, WHO warns
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With most hospitals destroyed and only 13 partially functional, the WHO says Gaza faces an unprecedented health emergency as disease outbreaks worsen under blockade.
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A Palestinian mother carries her child into a patient treatment tent set up in the yard of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Friday, July 4, 2025, amid the Israeli genocide in Gaza (AP)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that infectious diseases are “spiraling out of control” in the Gaza Strip, where only 13 of the territory’s 36 hospitals remain even partially functional.
“Whether meningitis… diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses, we’re talking about a mammoth amount of work,” Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director, told AFP from Cairo.
A recent ceasefire between "Israel" and Hamas has raised hopes that life-saving aid and healthcare could finally reach Palestinians in Gaza after two years of genocide. Yet, Balkhy cautioned that the scale of the challenges is “unimaginable.”
“We need more fuel to go into Gaza, we need more food, more medical equipment, medications, medics, doctors,” she said on Wednesday, echoing calls from international leaders for "Israel" to allow a dramatic increase in humanitarian access.
Hospitals in crisis
WHO data show that Gaza City, the territory’s main urban center, has only eight health facilities still operational, all partially functioning. The remaining hospitals face severe shortages of medical personnel, many of whom have themselves endured famine and "Israel’s" relentless offensive, which has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
“When people talk about repairing Gaza’s devastated hospitals, the question is how many of them are available for rehabilitation versus having to rebuild all over again?” Balkhy said. “We’re talking about billions of dollars, and we’re talking about decades of work,” she added, describing the healthcare system as essentially “dismantled".
Since October 7, 2023, Gaza’s health facilities have suffered more than 800 Israeli attacks, according to UN data.
“There is very little left of the healthcare system. You have children that were born over the past two years, many of whom, I’m assuming, have received zero doses of immunizations,” Balkhy said. The UN reports that nearly 42,000 people in Gaza have sustained life-changing injuries, a quarter of them children.
Barriers to medical care
Balkhy stressed the urgent need for patients to regain access to medical facilities in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds, where care used to be available. "Israel" has severely restricted permits for Palestinians to leave Gaza during the genocide, making evacuations nearly impossible.
Mental health needs have more than doubled among the two million people trapped under bombardment, with over one million requiring urgent support, far exceeding available services.
“We’re really hoping that the peace is fully sustained, so that we can start,” Balkhy said.
