During the Israel–Hamas war, the Israeli military destroyed the healthcare system of the Gaza Strip. According to international and local medical organizations, the Israeli military deliberately attacked and targeted Gaza's hospitals, destroying critical facilities such as oxygen tanks and CT scanners.[1] The United Nations reported that none of Gaza's 36 hospitals were fully functional; while some were still partially operational, many had been completely destroyed.[1] In fact, Israel used some of Gaza's hospitals as military bases.[2] Gaza's medical personnel and healthcare workers were also directly affected, with hundreds of healthcare workers killed or detained by Israeli forces.[3][4]
Israel also conducted targeted raids and attack on hospitals, including a military incursion at Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, where violence and arrests against both patients and staff within the facility were reported.[1] In June 2024, Doctors Without Borders stated Gaza was in an "apocalyptic" health crisis, stating the health system was at the "point of collapse" due to a lack of safety and resources.[5] In October 2024, the World Health Organization stated it had recorded 516 attacks on Gaza's healthcare since October 2023.[6] The International Committee of the Red Cross warned about the extensive damage in southern Gaza, stating that the healthcare system was at its breaking point.[7]
Israel's actions received international condemnation, with both states and humanitarian organizations criticizing the "systematic dismantling" of Gaza's health services.[8][9] Medical Aid for Palestinians and other NGOs described the destruction as coordinated, asserting that the situation in Gaza was among the worst they had encountered.[10][11][12] In October 2024, a United Nations inquiry found Israel's policy of destroying Gaza's healthcare system constituted both war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination.[13]