With Al-Aqsa hospital under threat, MSF opens field hospital in central Gaza

Displaced people sheltering around the hospital has become commonplace; the majority of Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times since October. Since then, the so-called ‘humanitarian zone’ identified by Israel has reduced significantly. In official terms, there are just 41 square kilometres for 1.9 million people that aren’t designated an active combat zone. However, the so-called humanitarian zone has also been routinely bombed, leaving people with impossible dilemmas on how best to survive in Gaza.

For months, MSF supply and medical teams have been working to establish a field hospital, repeatedly delaying its opening due to continued challenges in bringing essential supplies into Gaza. However, as the threat to Al-Aqsa hospital grows, our teams were left with no choice but to prematurely open the field hospital, located few kilometres west of Al-Aqsa.  

“No amount of field hospitals will replace what was a functional healthcare system in Gaza,” says Dr Safi. “This is the last resort to provide urgently needed medical care. But it really is a drop in the ocean – as the facade of a ceasefire is presented time and again, the ability to sustain human life in Gaza diminishes.”

Despite the enormous supply and access challenges, a second field hospital in the same location is being set up.

According to the World Health Organization, 20 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are now non-functional. Temporary facilities like field hospitals lack the capacity for advanced surgical care, and many other lifesaving essentials to treat patients in critical condition or with long-term medical conditions. Since early October, MSF teams have been forced to leave 14 medical facilities in the Gaza Strip.

The last 11 months have clearly illustrated that without an immediate and sustained ceasefire, there can be no meaningful medical humanitarian response. MSF calls on all warring parties to respect and protect the last remaining hospitals in Gaza.