DaysofPal- Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that Gaza’s health system is facing a catastrophic collapse amid the ongoing Israeli genocide and blockade, with children and women bearing the brunt of the suffering.
Al-Bursh described the crisis as a “documented health genocide,” saying hospitals are overwhelmed, malnutrition is spiraling out of control, and deliberate policies of starvation are killing civilians in unprecedented numbers.
According to Al-Bursh, the toll on children is devastating. An average of 28 children die every day, while more than 914,000 have been deprived of education since the war began. He said at least 18,854 children have been killed and 40,000 injured, including 7,065 with severe wounds, nearly 4,000 of whom require urgent surgery.
The crisis is compounded by a deepening famine as health officials recorded 266 deaths due to malnutrition in recent weeks, 112 of them children, along with three adults in just the last 24 hours. Every day, about 500 children receive treatment for malnutrition, while 4,912 urgently need medical transfers abroad for care no longer available in Gaza.
Moreover, Al-Bursh warned that 1.2 million children are now at risk of starvation, while more than one million others suffer psychological trauma from constant exposure to death, bombing, and hunger.
Hospitals are buckling under the strain, whereas Nasser Hospital, with a capacity of 340 beds, is receiving 824 patients per day, three times its limit, forcing doctors to treat patients on the floor and in corridors.
Witnesses and health workers describe horrific scenes resembling “the living dead”, with skeletal children and women wandering in search of food.
“These zombie-like images are shocking evidence of an engineered famine,” Al-Bursh said.
He accused Israeli forces of not only blocking aid but also deliberately targeting starving civilians who gather to receive food and humanitarian assistance, often shelling distribution points or opening fire on crowds.
The crisis is not limited to children, as women are also facing life-threatening conditions. Around 107,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are malnourished, with at least 60,000 denied basic healthcare. Since the war began, 9,800 women have been killed, including 8,990 mothers, while 21,000 have been injured, among them 350 cases of amputation.
“This is not merely a war,” Al-Bursh said.
“It is a systematic destruction of life, a health genocide measured in numbers, bodies, and mass suffering. The only way to prevent further collapse is an immediate end to the war and the lifting of the siege.” He added.
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