Gaza: On the occasion of World Health Day 2026, where this year's theme is 'Together for Health: Stand with Science,' the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reviews the status of the health system in Palestine amid unprecedented exceptional circumstances and a dire health situation affecting Palestine, particularly in Gaza Strip. While the world is witnessing a rapid progress in the fields of medicine and healthcare, and the international community celebrates scientific and medical achievements, the Palestinian health sector faces mounting and overwhelming challenges, as the gap between humanitarian health standards and living conditions has widened due to the ongoing Israeli aggression and systematic blockade.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, data updated through March 2026 indicate that the healthcare system in Gaza Strip has reached a state of severe collapse, with 94% of hospitals destroyed, resulting in all 36 hospitals being unable to operate at full capacity, while 18 hospitals are operating only partially. Primary healthcare services have also witnessed a catastrophic decline in performance, falling to less than half of their operational capacity, with only 1.5% operating at full capacity. The crisis is intensifying as 51% of essential medicines have reached 'zero stock' in warehouses, leaving thousands of patients-particularly those with chronic conditions-facing a severe shortage of access to regular treatment, and rendering the health system in a state of near-total paralysis that puts the lives of the population at risk.
This deterioration is not limited to Gaza Strip but also extends to the West Bank, where restrictions on movement are increasingly affecting access to health services. The World Health Organization has documented hundreds of incidents targeting medical staff and ambulances, which have disrupted many services, including mobile clinics. Estimates indicate that one in five households reported that their children were unable to access health care or necessary medications due to repeated closures.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for the period from October 2025 to April 2026, Gaza Strip experienced acute levels of food insecurity from October 16th to November 30th, 2025. Approximately 1.6 million people (77% of the population covered by the analysis) continue to face high levels of acute food insecurity. Despite limited relative improvement following the ceasefire, the destruction of 96% of agricultural land, an unemployment rate of 80%, and the lack of access to basic sanitation facilities for 47% of the population render this improvement extremely fragile, leaving the risk of famine highly probable in the event that aid is disrupted or hostilities resume.
Children and women are facing alarming nutritional conditions in Gaza Strip. Estimates up to mid-October 2026 in the IPC report indicate a severe malnutrition crisis threatening the lives of 101,000 children (aged 6 months to 59 months), including 31,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition that put their lives at immediate risk. In the same context, approximately 37,000 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition, while tens of thousands more remain at heightened health and nutritional risk. This situation has had catastrophic repercussions on the health of newborns, with a noticeable rise in preterm births-one in five newborns now requires intensive care-alongside a sharp increase in miscarriages and health complications associated with the lack of essential nutritional requirements.
Based on the unified disease surveillance dashboard of the Early Warning, Alert and Response System (EWARS), which compiles weekly data from health facilities, the burden of infectious diseases in Gaza Strip shows unprecedentedly high numbers of respiratory infections, skin diseases, and parasitic infections. The health situation has reached an unprecedented critical level, with communicable diseases accounting for approximately 23.3% of total medical consultations from the beginning of 2026 through the end of February, amid a near-total collapse in the health system's response capacity.
Acute respiratory infections recorded the highest proportion among diagnosed infectious diseases, accounting for 68% during the first two months of 2026, with more than 1.9 million cumulative cases reported. Although a slight decline in cases has been observed recently, the registration of 17 deaths in January 2026 reflects the increasing severity of the situation and the heightened vulnerability caused by extreme cold, severe overcrowding in displacement centers exceeding their capacity by more than four times, lack of heating and ventilation, and limited access to healthcare services.
Acute watery diarrhea was the second most reported condition at 16%, with around 81,000 cases recorded from January through the end of February 2026, including more than 36,000 cases among children under five. During 2025, more than 496,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea were reported, with 47% of them among children under five years of age.
This sharp increase-approximately 20 times higher than pre-war levels-is attributed to deteriorating water quality and the collapse of sanitation systems, with estimates indicating that 97% of water in Gaza Strip is unfit for consumption. Skin diseases such as scabies and lice accounted for 15% of reported cases, affecting around 75,000 individuals, in the near-total absence of personal hygiene facilities.
The sufferings of patients with chronic diseases have also worsened due to the disruption of diagnostic and treatment services and the depletion of 70% of essential medicines. The number of kidney failure patients in Gaza Strip is estimated at around 1,100, while only 600-700 patients are currently receiving treatment, due to widespread destruction of health infrastructure and the shutdown of most dialysis centers, placing patients' lives at severe risk. Cancer patients, estimated at 10,000-12,000, are facing a near-total collapse of treatment systems due to severe shortages of chemotherapy drugs, disruption of advanced diagnostic services such as CT scans, and strict restrictions on medical referrals outside Gaza Strip, making access to comprehensive treatment protocols extremely difficult. Such deterioration extends to hundreds of thousands of patients with chronic conditions, amid widespread shortages of essential medications, increasing the risk of complications and preventable deaths.
The crisis is not limited to physical health but extends to mental health, with more than one million children in Gaza Strip suffering from severe psychological impacts, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, in the near absence of specialized mental health support services.
In a tragic account of the scale of destruction and ongoing human loss, data indicate that the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 2023 has resulted, as of March 2026, in more than 72,280 martyrs and over 172,000 injuries, with approximately one quarter estimated to have sustained permanent disabilities requiring long-term rehabilitation services. According to UNICEF estimates, more than 21,000 children are among the victims, in addition to over 11,000 children suffering from permanent disabilities and life-altering injuries, all in urgent need of long-term rehabilitation programs that are currently unavailable under existing conditions.
The scale of escalating humanitarian needs requires immediate and effective international action, including the lifting of restrictions on the entry of critical medical equipment and supplies to ensure the continuity of life-saving health services. Data indicate that more than 18,500 patients require urgent medical evacuation, including 3,800 children who need advanced treatment interventions outside Palestine.
