Gaza Hospitals Struggle a Year After Ceasefire, Report Finds
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
A year after a ceasefire, Gaza's health system remains severely damaged, with no hospitals fully operational and vital services declining, according to Physicians for Human Rights. The report details a lack of intensive care beds, reduced dialysis services, and ongoing shortages of medical supplies, with 69% of approved supplies not entering Gaza. Thousands of patients have died awaiting evacuation, and medical travel is significantly reduced compared to pre-war levels. The organization calls for the reopening of the medical corridor to the West Bank and the lifting of restrictions.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- No hospital in Gaza is operating at full capacity a year after a ceasefire, a new report reveals.
- Intensive care beds saw a minimal increase, and dialysis services declined significantly since the ceasefire.
- At least 1,570 patients died while awaiting medical evacuation from Gaza between October 2023 and July 2026.
- 69% of medical supplies approved for entry into Gaza between January and May 2026 did not actually enter.
- The number of patients evacuated for treatment is three to six times lower than pre-war levels.
- Physicians for Human Rights calls for reopening the medical corridor to the West Bank and lifting restrictions.
A year after a ceasefire was declared in the Gaza Strip, no hospital is operating at full capacity, with only marginal increases in intensive care beds and a decline in vital services like dialysis, according to a new report by Physicians for Human Rights. The report, which compares the health system's status before October 2023 to the current situation after the ceasefire began in October 2025, indicates that the truce has not facilitated the health sector's recovery. Instead, some indicators have worsened.
While the number of partially functioning hospitals increased from 14 out of 36 in October 2025 to 20 a year later, none have regained full operational capacity. Intensive care beds saw a minimal rise from 103 in October 2025 to 104 in July 2026. Dialysis services, available in 17% of facilities in October 2025, dropped to 12% by July 2026, and MRI services remain unavailable.
The report also highlights that the ceasefire did not halt attacks on healthcare facilities, with the World Health Organization documenting at least 143 additional attacks in the first seven months of the truce. Concurrently, severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies persist. Data from COGAT indicates that 69% of medical supplies approved for entry between January and May 2026 did not actually enter Gaza, hindering the health system's rehabilitation.
Beyond Gaza's internal capacity, patients needing treatment abroad face significant hurdles. The Gaza Ministry of Health reports that at least 1,570 patients, including 505 cancer patients and 264 children, died while awaiting medical evacuation between October 2023 and July 2026. Before October 2023, 50 to 100 patients left Gaza daily for treatment; between October 2025 and September 2026, only about 3,423 patients were evacuated, a rate three to six times lower than pre-war levels, despite increased medical needs.
Israel continues to block the medical corridor to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, forcing patients to rely on evacuation to third countries, a route insufficient for the growing demand. Israeli courts have deferred intervention, placing responsibility on other nations. The report also notes that at least 1,422 Palestinians were killed and 5,150 injured by Israeli operations during the ceasefire period up to September 2026.
Physicians for Human Rights argues that these figures point to ongoing policies restricting medical access and hindering recovery, suggesting the ceasefire has not stopped, but merely altered, the methods of what the organization previously classified as genocide. Milena Ansari, the report's author, stated that the health system remains devastated, with essential supplies lacking and patients dying despite available treatments in the West Bank. The organization demands Israel reopen the medical corridor, lift restrictions on medical supplies and humanitarian workers, and allow the rehabilitation of Gaza's health system.
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