‘A Tsunami of Human Suffering’: Gaza’s Last Functioning Hospitals Overwhelmed as Thousands Flee South

Exhausted medical staff at Gaza’s few remaining hospitals are struggling to cope with a devastating influx of thousands of sick, injured, and malnourished people fleeing renewed Israeli assaults in the north, creating a crisis that one surgeon described as being “at our absolute limit.”

The Israeli military’s latest offensive in Gaza City has triggered a mass exodus, with approximately 320,000 people complying with evacuation orders, according to the UN. This flight is overwhelming medical facilities in central and southern Gaza, which were already operating far beyond capacity.

At the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis and field hospitals in the coastal area of al-Muwasi—designated a “humanitarian zone” by Israel—staff report being inundated. “We are seeing this tsunami coming towards us,” said Dr. Martin Griffiths, a consultant trauma surgeon from London volunteering in al-Muwasi. “More and more injuries with less and less supplies to treat them.”

Dr. Griffiths, who works with the aid charity UK-Med, described patients arriving with blast wounds, bullet injuries, and old, infected wounds after arduous journeys. “Everyone is hungry, malnourished, has lost their home and loved ones, and everyone is scared. We have not got enough of anything,” he said. The 90-bed field hospital where he works received 160 injured people in a single night, with hundreds more seeking care at its small clinic.

A Perilous Journey, Worsening Injuries

The crisis has been exacerbated by the systematic closure of hospitals in northern Gaza. As these facilities shut down, patients are forced to embark on dangerous journeys south on foot or in rare vehicles over damaged roads. “Even if you have a vehicle it can take a day or two at least. If the bullets or bombs don’t get them, then infection will,” Dr. Griffiths said, noting that some patients arrive with week-old injuries. His stark message: “Please, we just need to stop the fighting.”

At Nasser Hospital, the last major medical center still functioning in Gaza, the situation is equally dire. Mohamed Saqr, the director of nursing, said the facility is operating beyond its breaking point. “We are really just hanging on here. It is really bad. We are at our absolute limit. All the staff are exhausted and we are low on stores of essentials,” Saqr stated. New arrivals in paediatric wards are being treated in corridors as all beds are full.

Northern Hospitals Under Siege and Orders to Evacuate

The Israeli military has informed aid workers that only hospitals would be considered “protected,” ordering all other humanitarian sites in Gaza City to evacuate. This included the Jordanian field hospital in the Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood, which received an evacuation order on Monday. According to Dr. Munir al-Bursh of Gaza’s health ministry, the hospital had at least 300 patients and medical staff inside as troops approached.

Services have been suspended at other key facilities, including the al-Rantisi children’s hospital—badly damaged by bombardment—and the Eye hospital. The health ministry stated that “none of the facilities or hospitals have safe access routes,” making it impossible for the wounded to reach care. Medics reported that al-Rantisi is only partially open as a first-aid point, staffed by just three medical professionals amid continuous shelling.

The consequences are widespread. The NGO Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reported that approximately half of the patients requiring dialysis in Gaza City have been forced to leave, while its rehabilitation unit in Deir al-Balah has seen patient numbers double.

Aid Access Fails to Meet ‘Astronomical’ Need

While some aid has trickled in, including a delivery from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to al-Shifa hospital with medical supplies and 500 body bags, organizations say it is woefully insufficient. “Much more is needed to adequately meet the astronomical levels of need that exist on the ground,” the ICRC said, citing ongoing military operations and access restrictions.

The scarcity of basic supplies is critical. Abed al-Hayek, an MAP project manager, said oxygen and fuel stocks at the al-Sahaba medical complex, which cares for newborns, are nearly depleted. A recent delivery of 1,000 litres of fuel will only last four days. “We don’t know what will happen in just two days’ time,” al-Hayek said.

The Human Toll Beyond the Physical Wounds

The conflict, triggered by Hamas’s October 7th attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, has now killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, injured over 160,000, and displaced most of the population.

Dr. Griffiths highlighted the profound emotional trauma, describing a young boy who lost his family and undergoes daily surgery to remove shrapnel. “I can make him better physically, but there is nothing I can do for the emotional trauma. It is horrific,” he said. He also recounted the helplessness of being unable to save a 14-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to the head and neck, a moment where the only comfort offered was a quiet place for the father to be with his dying son.

As Israel presses its offensive with the stated aims of eliminating Hamas and securing the release of hostages, the medical infrastructure in Gaza collapses under the weight of a human catastrophe, leaving its remaining caregivers to face an impossible tide of suffering.

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