DaysofPal – Despite a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, humanitarian and medical organizations warn that the enclave’s health system remains on the brink of collapse. Israeli restrictions continue to block nearly all medical supplies, equipment, and delegations from entering, leaving doctors overwhelmed and patients suffering in makeshift facilities with little hope of recovery.
Nothing Has Changed in the Healthcare Sector
According to Lena Dajani, a volunteer coordinating medical aid in Gaza, the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 has brought no tangible relief to the health sector.
“Almost every doctor I’ve spoken to has said that nothing has changed,” Dajani told reporters. “There’s still no equipment, no disinfectant, no beds, and patients who should be in intensive care are sleeping on the floor.”
While the pause in bombing has reduced the flood of trauma cases, hospitals remain overwhelmed. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that only 10 percent of requested medical supplies have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began. Sepsis has become widespread, Dajani said, with hospitals turning into “breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria.”
She recounted seeing patients with severe war injuries discharged into tents. “We’re talking about patients who, in any other country, would be in the ICU,” she said. One child she assisted, Saab, had lost half his skull after being evacuated from northern Gaza and was forced to sleep on the floor because there were no beds available.
Critical medicines remain out of reach. Keppra syrup, used to treat epilepsy, is no longer available, leaving thousands of children with trauma-induced seizures untreated. “Even if they were predisposed to seizures, the constant explosions triggered them,” Dajani said.
Lack of electricity has also rendered temperature-sensitive medications, such as insulin, unusable. “Refrigeration is nearly impossible,” Dajani added, “so people with chronic illnesses are at constant risk.”
Expanding ‘Dual-Use’ Ban Deepens the Crisis
According to Bahaa Zaqout, director of external relations at the Palestinian NGO PARC, almost no medical equipment or medicine has entered Gaza since the ceasefire began. Israel continues to block items it designates as “dual-use,” goods that could theoretically have both civilian and military applications.
Before October 2023, Israel classified about 1,400 items as dual-use. Since then, Zaqout said, the list has ballooned to around 4,000, now encompassing not only construction materials but also medicines, medical tools, and even children’s clothes.
Zaqout added that aid trucks represent only 15 percent of deliveries into Gaza, with most crossings used for commercial goods of low nutritional value. “You can’t even find paracetamol,” he said. “Even the simplest medication is not available in pharmacies and hospitals.”
Assistive devices such as wheelchairs, prosthetics, and crutches are also banned, leaving thousands of newly disabled Palestinians without support.
The Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children, a Gaza-based NGO, reports that as of July 2025, around 58,000 people are living with disabilities, including 22,500 with life-changing injuries sustained during Israel’s military campaign. The group found that 83 percent of respondents with disabilities had lost at least one assistive device during displacement, and an estimated 35,000 people are now at risk of temporary or permanent hearing loss.
“This means there is a huge need for assistive devices in Gaza,” said Atfaluna director Fadi Abed. “Without them, many disabled people can’t even access mental health or rehabilitation services. We have children with hearing problems who can’t participate in learning or psychosocial sessions.”
Diagnostic clinics for children under five, once a cornerstone of early hearing treatment, have shut down due to the lack of specialized equipment, Abed added.
Medical Delegations Blocked from Entry
Even foreign medical professionals are being kept out. British plastic surgeon Victoria Rose, who has worked in Gaza for over a decade, said her delegation was denied entry on October 9, a day before the ceasefire began. “We were told before we even left, something that never used to happen,” she said. “It seemed like they wanted to get the denial in before the ceasefire took effect.”
Rose explained that since October 2023, health workers have been limited to just five seats per month on convoys entering Gaza. “The next convoy is already full,” she said. “We’re waiting for more seats, but none have been announced.”
She noted that Israel often permits entry to coordinators or logistics staff but rarely to doctors. “Anyone with ‘medical’ in their title faces far more scrutiny,” Rose said, adding that she has tried and failed five times to enter Gaza since the war began.
Her colleagues who did manage to enter in September reported no improvement in conditions. “They need orthopedic and plastic surgeons. They’re low on doctors, low on staff, and completely depleted,” Rose said.
According to humanitarian organizations, 17,000 Palestinian medical workers have been killed since October 2023, and 95 remain detained by Israel. With only a fraction of supplies entering and medical delegations kept out, Gaza’s healthcare system is operating on the brink of collapse.
The ceasefire, many say, has brought quiet skies, but not relief.
“There’s no medicine, no equipment, no support,” said Dajani. “People think the ceasefire means healing has begun. But in Gaza, the wounds are still wide open.”
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