Similar to water, electricity, and food supply chains, the healthcare system, with its staff, clinics, hospitals, ambulances, and other facilities, is an essential part of the life-sustaining infrastructures of every society. It is hard to imagine a reality where the sick and injured have nowhere to receive treatment. In times of war and armed conflict, with the presence of traumatic war injuries and the interruption of daily medical practice, the healthcare system takes on an even more crucial role in saving lives and minimizing the harm of war on civilians.

Since October 2023, Gaza has witnessed surging rates of infectious diseases. By June 30, 2024, WHO reports showed nearly a million cases of acute respiratory infections, more than half a million cases of diarrhea, and approximately 104,000 cases of acute jaundice syndrome[1]. In addition to a high number of skin disease cases: over 103,000 cases of scabies and pediculosis, nearly 66,000 cases of skin rashes, and 11,214 cases of chicken pox[2].

Introduction

In April 2024, over seven months into Israel's genocidal onslaught on Gaza, Palestinian emergency workers in Gaza discovered several mass graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, drawing significant media attention.[1] The Civil Defence in Gaza reported that nearly 400 bodies of women, men, children, and the elderly were buried in these graves.