Hospitals in Gaza Nearing Capacity Amid Scarcity of Essential Supplies as Military Confrontation Looms

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Medical professionals in Gaza alerted on Sunday that a humanitarian catastrophe is imminent as hospitals, already burdened with wounded civilians, are critically low on essential resources like fuel. Anticipating an impending Israeli ground invasion, Palestinians in the embattled coastal strip grapple with shortages of food, water, and security.

Israeli troops, reinforced by an increasing presence of U.S. naval vessels in the vicinity, are amassing along Gaza’s border, preparing for what Israel has indicated would be a comprehensive operation aimed at neutralizing the militant organization. A week-long series of devastating airstrikes has not succeeded in halting rocket attacks into Israeli territory.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, since the onset of hostilities, 2,450 Palestinians have died and another 9,200 have been injured—figures that surpass those from the six-week-long 2014 Gaza war. This marks the most lethal conflict involving Gaza for both participating sides.

In an assault on October 7 by Hamas, over 1,400 Israelis lost their lives, the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians. An additional estimated 150 individuals, including minors, were abducted by Hamas. This conflict is also the deadliest for Israel since its 1973 war with Egypt and Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will revisit Israel on Monday after an urgent six-nation tour through Arab states, aimed at preventing the localized conflict from escalating into a wider regional issue.

Clashes on Israel’s border with Lebanon intensified on Sunday as Hezbollah militants launched rocket and anti-tank missile attacks, provoking Israeli counterstrikes and artillery fire. Casualties were reported on both sides.

Rana Sahili, a Hezbollah spokesperson, labeled the increased hostilities as a “warning,” clarifying that Hezbollah’s engagement does not necessarily indicate a commitment to joining the conflict.

With the humanitarian condition in Gaza deteriorating, David Satterfield, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey with extensive experience in Middle Eastern diplomacy, has been appointed as a special envoy for Middle East humanitarian concerns.

Gaza hospitals are facing an imminent shutdown due to fuel shortages, putting at risk the lives of thousands of patients. Gaza’s lone power plant has already ceased operations due to a lack of fuel, subsequent to Israel sealing off the 25-mile long territory in response to the Hamas attacks.

Medical facilities like Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis are swamped with critically wounded patients, predominantly children under three. Without a replenishment of fuel supplies, the entire healthcare system is in jeopardy, according to Dr. Mohammed Qandeel, a consultant at the hospital.

Despite the acute situation, Israeli authorities have instructed more than one million Palestinians to relocate to the southern part of the territory. The military asserts that this is a preparatory measure for a substantial campaign against Hamas in the northern region, which they claim is riddled with tunnels and other militant infrastructure.

The mass internal displacement and the ongoing blockade by Israel are causing unparalleled humanitarian suffering, warns the World Health Organization. Efforts to reopen the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza for humanitarian aid and evacuation have thus far been unsuccessful.

Amid the dire circumstances, hundreds of relatives of those abducted by Hamas gathered in Tel Aviv, pleading for the safe return of their family members.

Ongoing rocket assaults from Gaza prompted widespread evacuations from the southern Israeli city of Sderot, a frequent target for Hamas rockets. Israeli military action in the southern part of Gaza resulted in the elimination of a high-ranking Hamas official.

Israeli authorities have mobilized approximately 360,000 military reserves and have amassed troops and armor along the Gaza border, although no specific timetable for a ground invasion has been disclosed.

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Contributors to this report include reporters from Baghdad and Jerusalem, with additional input from Beirut and Cairo.

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More about Gaza humanitarian crisis

• Gaza Health Ministry Statistics
• U.S. State Department Statements on Middle East
• United Nations Reports on Gaza Humanitarian Crisis
• World Health Organization Warnings on Gaza
• Hezbollah and Israel Border Conflict News
• U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues
• Israeli Defense Ministry Statements on Captives
• U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees Updates