Gaza hospitals struggle to care for thousands of critically ill patients
11/3/2025 11:34:00 AM
Thousands of Palestinian patients, many of them being children, are trapped in hospitals that can no longer provide the care they need.
With borders closed and medical evacuations suspended, even treatable illnesses are turning into life-threatening conditions.
At al-Aqsa Hospital in the heart of Gaza, Beesan Abu Ameer waits for answers that seem like they will never come. Doctors have yet to diagnose her illness. Her mother says she needs urgent tests, but the hospitals in the Strip no longer have the equipment.
“They don’t know the real problem because there’s no proper equipment,” her mother said. “I took her to many hospitals for the right diagnosis, but it’s all in vain. Now she’s suffering and has no medication.”
Across the ward lies Waleed, who is 13. He was suddenly paralysed and diagnosed with a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks its nerves.
“Waleed has weak muscle syndrome. He was normal until July 17 when Israelis threw poisonous gas near the beach where he was,” his mother said.
“He started suffering from paralysis in his limbs. Then it got worse until he lost movement and the ability to speak.”
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza, said at least 15,000 patients, including nearly 4,000 children, are waiting to be evacuated out of Gaza to receive life-saving care.
“For months, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt has been closed,” Khoudary said. “Israel says it will not reopen it until Hamas returns the bodies of dead Israeli captives under the terms of the ceasefire deal.”
With borders closed and medical evacuations suspended, even treatable illnesses are turning into life-threatening conditions.
At al-Aqsa Hospital in the heart of Gaza, Beesan Abu Ameer waits for answers that seem like they will never come. Doctors have yet to diagnose her illness. Her mother says she needs urgent tests, but the hospitals in the Strip no longer have the equipment.
“They don’t know the real problem because there’s no proper equipment,” her mother said. “I took her to many hospitals for the right diagnosis, but it’s all in vain. Now she’s suffering and has no medication.”
Across the ward lies Waleed, who is 13. He was suddenly paralysed and diagnosed with a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks its nerves.
“Waleed has weak muscle syndrome. He was normal until July 17 when Israelis threw poisonous gas near the beach where he was,” his mother said.
“He started suffering from paralysis in his limbs. Then it got worse until he lost movement and the ability to speak.”
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Gaza, said at least 15,000 patients, including nearly 4,000 children, are waiting to be evacuated out of Gaza to receive life-saving care.
“For months, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt has been closed,” Khoudary said. “Israel says it will not reopen it until Hamas returns the bodies of dead Israeli captives under the terms of the ceasefire deal.”