Lifesaving medical care continues in Gaza, but the humanitarian crisis demands far more comprehensive support.
📍 Jerusalem / Tel Aviv, Gaza Strip
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has finalized the import of essential materials to significantly upgrade its field hospital in Rafah, Gaza, marking a crucial step in providing healthcare to the besieged population. This expansion, involving 16 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies spearheaded by the Norwegian Red Cross, will bolster the hospital’s capacity with an increase in beds from 60 to 72, incorporating improvements to the operating theatre, emergency and outpatient departments, maternity and paediatric care, and post-surgical facilities. Since its opening in May 2024, the field hospital has already performed over 11,300 surgeries and facilitated 250,000 consultations, highlighting the immense pressure on Gaza’s overwhelmed healthcare system.
Despite this positive development, the ICRC’s head of delegation, Julien Lerisson, emphasized the severity of the situation, noting that a single field hospital cannot address the overwhelming medical needs within Gaza. Every hospital in Gaza has suffered significant damage or destruction since October 2023, creating a dire shortage of essential resources including water, power, basic supplies, medicines, and advanced equipment. The continued restrictions on imports exacerbate the challenges, further delaying the recovery and threatening the lives of countless individuals.
The situation underscores the urgent need for sustained access to not only medical assistance but also broader support, encompassing clean water, sanitation, rubble removal, forensic services, and communication channels to reconnect families separated by conflict. “The long path to recovery can be realized only through ensuring dignity for people in Gaza,” Lerisson stated, a poignant reminder of the immense suffering and the complex, multifaceted nature of the humanitarian crisis.
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