Medical teams operating in the northern Gaza Strip are describing a systemic collapse of healthcare access, where a combination of military partitions and restrictive aid policies has effectively created “medical deserts” for thousands of displaced civilians. The situation has reached a critical juncture as emergency physicians struggle to treat patients in makeshift tents and ruined buildings, often without basic surgical tools or reliable power.
The current Israeli policy cuts off humanitarian aid in Gaza by limiting the flow of essential supplies and restricting the movement of medical personnel between the north and south. This isolation has left the northernmost reaches of the territory—particularly areas like Jabalia—nearly devoid of functional healthcare infrastructure, forcing the injured to rely on primitive transport, such as donkey carts, to reach the nearest operational clinics in Gaza City.
For the teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, the mission has become a race against total systemic failure. Medical staff report entering the region with every available bag filled with surgical instruments and engine oil for generators, attempting to patch together a healthcare system that has been largely flattened by ongoing military operations.
The Collapse of Pediatric Care in Gaza City
The struggle to maintain basic services is most evident at Al-Rantisi, the sole remaining hospital focused on pediatrics in Gaza City. Once a cornerstone of childcare in the region, the facility is now barely operational. Air strikes have caused partial roof collapses, forcing clinicians to treat children in waiting rooms equipped with only a few cots.
Jennifer Hulse, an emergency physician from the U.K. Leading an MSF medical team, described a scene of extreme deprivation during the winter months. The lack of heating and structural integrity meant that the cold penetrated deep into the buildings. Hulse reported that parents occasionally arrived with infants who appeared to have died of hypothermia, a stark indicator of the failure of basic survival infrastructure.
“We were just trying to get it functional again,” Hulse said regarding the team’s efforts to implement triage systems, secure generators, and organize staff training amidst the ruins.
The fragility of the system is such that environmental factors now mirror the violence of the conflict; Hulse noted that during winter storms, the sound of thunderclaps was frequently mistaken for explosions by both staff and patients.
The Medical Vacuum in Jabalia
Further north, in the Jabalia area, the devastation is more absolute. The region, which was previously served by several primary-care centers and the Indonesian Hospital, has seen nearly every medical facility destroyed or rendered inaccessible. The Indonesian Hospital, a key healthcare hub, has been subject to repeated raids and damage, severely limiting its capacity to serve the population.
In Jabalia, the landscape has been reduced to rutted streets and rubble. The physical environment is so degraded that finding a flat piece of ground to establish a medical outpost is a challenge. Hulse described seeing children playing in cardboard boxes on the remains of collapsed roofs, sliding down the slopes of ruins in an area where almost no building remains intact.
To address the void, MSF and the Gaza Health Ministry established a temporary clinic. The setup was rudimentary: tents erected over dug latrines, supported by water tanks and generators. Because the clinic was situated near military partitions, the team had to pile sandbags around the perimeter to protect staff and patients from sporadic gunfire.
Systemic Barriers and the Partition of Gaza
The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the military division of the Gaza Strip. The establishment of corridors and partitions has effectively split the territory, pushing large portions of the population toward the coast and cutting them off from surviving health facilities in the north. This partition means that for many, the nearest point of care is now on the “wrong side” of a military line.
The impact of these restrictions is detailed in the table below, highlighting the shift in healthcare availability:
| Facility Status | Previous Condition | Current State (North Gaza) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Care Centers | Multiple distributed hubs | Majority destroyed or inaccessible |
| Pediatric Care | Specialized hospital network | Concentrated in Al-Rantisi (barely operational) |
| Patient Transport | Ambulance services | Reliance on donkey carts/foot travel |
| Infrastructure | Grid-connected power | Reliance on smuggled engine oil and generators |
This fragmentation of the territory means that an injured person in the northern reaches may spend hours traveling to a crossroads to find transport to Gaza City, a journey that can be fatal for those with acute trauma or obstetric emergencies. According to World Health Organization (WHO) reports, the restriction of movement for both patients and aid workers remains one of the primary drivers of preventable mortality in the region.
Impact on Humanitarian Logistics
The logistical hurdles are not merely a result of destruction but of policy. The strict control over what materials can enter the strip—including the denial of certain medical components and fuel—means that even when a clinic is established, it may lack the tools to perform basic surgeries. The reliance on “carrying as many bags as physically possible” underscores the lack of a reliable, large-scale supply chain for medical grade equipment.
The ongoing crisis in Northern Gaza continues to be monitored by international bodies. The next critical checkpoint will be the upcoming review of aid corridor access by the United Nations and coordinating agencies, which will determine if more permanent medical structures can be established or if the region will remain dependent on sandbagged tents.
Disclaimer: This report contains information regarding medical emergencies and public health crises. For official health guidelines or emergency assistance, please refer to the World Health Organization or Médecins Sans Frontières.
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