The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that Gaza’s health system is on the brink of collapse due to the ongoing Israeli military campaign, with growing pressure from rising casualty rates caused by Israeli attacks near aid distribution points.
In a statement released on Sunday, the organisation emphasised that hospitals in the Surrounded region urgently require protection and support as continuous bombardment and blockade have pushed them to their limits.
The healthcare system is under growing strain from a surge in injuries resulting from Israeli strikes on aid distribution points.
“In the last two weeks, the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah has had to activate its mass casualty incident procedure 12 times, receiving high numbers of patients with gunshot and shrapnel wounds,” the ICRC posted on X.
The number of patients received over this period, 933 cases, including 41 that were declared dead upon arrival is higher than all mass casualty incidents over the twelve months prior combined, according to ICRC.
“An overwhelming majority of patients from the recent incidents said they had been trying to reach assistance distribution sites,” the statement added.
“Medical personnel are struggling to cope with the overwhelming number of patients arriving at the field hospital,” the ICRC said, warning that doctors and nurses are “working to save patients under constant exposure to stray bullets,” which endangers “the safety of those providing and receiving medical care” and puts “the field hospital’s very capacity to operate in jeopardy.”
Since the launch of the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on May 27, hundreds of Palestinians have reportedly been killed near its aid distribution centres by Israeli gunfire. The GHF replaced the United Nations and other independent agencies in coordinating aid, following an 11-week blockade that raised international alarm about potential famine in Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, as of Sunday, the death toll from incidents around GHF distribution sites had climbed to 125, with at least 736 people injured and nine missing.
In the latest reported attacks, 13 were killed and 153 wounded when Israeli troops allegedly opened fire on crowds gathered near food distribution points in eastern Rafah and at the Wadi Gaza Bridge in central Gaza.
The Israeli military stated that its forces fired on individuals who “continued advancing in a way that endangered the soldiers” even after warnings had been issued.
In contrast, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation claimed that “there had been no incidents at any of our three sites” on Sunday.
The Red Cross also voiced alarm over increasing violence near the few hospitals still functioning in Gaza. “Recent days have seen an increase in hostilities around the few remaining and functional hospitals,” the ICRC stated. “This has made patient transfers between facilities increasingly challenging, and in many cases, patients cannot receive the intensive or specialized care they require.”
ICRC asserted that,“Under international humanitarian law, wounded patients must receive the medical care and attention required by their condition as soon as possible. To this end, medical facilities must be respected and protected.”
A similar attack earlier in the week left 14 people dead and dozens wounded near another GHF location. Aid organisations have raised concerns over the growing frequency of such incidents, warning that the region’s fragile healthcare infrastructure is at risk of total breakdown.
The ICRC stressed that unless immediate steps are taken, more lives will be lost, stating, “It requires taking all feasible steps to support their work, ensure their safety, and guarantee that they are not deprived of vital resources needed to carry out their work.”
Although repeated calls from international organisations and humanitarian agencies to protect civilians and medical personnel, strikes near aid centres and hospitals persist, worsening the humanitarian crisis faced by Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
 has warned that Gaza’s health system is on the brink of collapse due to the ongoing Israeli military campaign, with growing pressure from rising casualty rates caused by Israeli attacks near aid distribution points.){kind=link}