Medical Teams Report Overwhelmed Emergency Department and Severe Shortages

The World Health Organization (WHO) has described the emergency department at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital as a “bloodbath,” warning that the facility is critically under-resourced and in dire need of medical aid. WHO teams, along with other UN agencies, delivered supplies to the hospital and reported catastrophic conditions.

According to the WHO, tens of thousands of displaced individuals are using the hospital for shelter, while shortages of food, water, and medical essentials have crippled operations. With no functioning operating theaters due to a lack of fuel and oxygen, patients with severe trauma are being sutured on the floor with minimal to no pain management available.

Al-Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, has been a focal point of the ongoing conflict. Israel has claimed that Hamas operates a command center in underground bunkers beneath the hospital, an assertion denied by both Hamas and hospital staff. The crisis at al-Shifa underscores the severe humanitarian toll of the conflict, with urgent calls for medical assistance and civilian protection.