Gaza City – Gaza’s fragile healthcare system is on the brink of total collapse after two major hospitals were forced to close their doors following repeated Israeli attacks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Eye Hospital, the only public facility in Gaza City providing ophthalmology services, and Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, which offers unique pediatric care, have both been shut down after direct strikes on the hospitals and surrounding areas.
“There are no safe routes to reach hospitals and medical facilities, preventing patients and the wounded from accessing care,” the ministry said in a statement. It accused Israeli forces of “deliberately and systematically targeting the healthcare system in Gaza City as part of its policy of genocide against the population.”
The crisis is being compounded by a critical fuel shortage caused by the ongoing Israeli blockade. Without urgent intervention, vital departments across Gaza’s remaining hospitals could shut down within days. “Gaza’s healthcare system is gasping its last breaths,” the ministry warned.
Civilians under relentless bombardment
Israeli tanks continued their advance into Gaza City on Tuesday, pushing towards the al-Shifa Hospital area, amid heavy bombing across the enclave. Shelling killed at least 20 people by early afternoon, adding to the mounting civilian toll.
Since the war began nearly two years ago, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, including around 20,000 children. According to leaked Israeli military data, over 80 percent of those killed are civilians.
UN: ‘There is no safe place in Gaza’
Local authorities described the situation as a humanitarian catastrophe. Gaza City municipality issued an urgent appeal for international intervention to stop the escalating crisis.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that at least 12 of its facilities in Gaza City — including nine schools and two health centers — were struck by Israeli air raids between 11 and 16 September. These facilities had been sheltering more than 11,000 displaced people.
“People in Gaza City are facing daily bombardment, famine, and compromised access to the means of survival,” UNRWA said. “Israeli forces placed the entire city under a displacement order, but people have nowhere to go. There is no safe place in Gaza.”
Famine claims lives in the south
In southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex reported the deaths of three children from malnutrition and the lack of available treatment.
At least 440 people have now died from malnutrition in Gaza, including 147 children, as Israel’s blockade continues to restrict the entry of food, medicine, and fuel into the besieged territory.
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