Gaza’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse as doctors face harrowing decisions about who to treat amid relentless Israeli bombardments. With hospitals overwhelmed and resources dwindling, medical staff are forced to prioritize the critically injured, leaving countless patients without the care they desperately need.

In a chilling testament to the dire situation, one patient lamented, “If you are not heavily bleeding, you have to wait.” The stark reality is that basic medical care has become a luxury in Gaza. Dialysis patients who once received consistent treatment are now enduring drastically reduced sessions, struggling to make the arduous journey to hospitals that are increasingly devoid of essential supplies.

A mother shared her heartbreaking account of her malnourished child, who weighs a mere 10 kilograms and has no access to an ICU or adequate medical attention. As doctors grapple with the grim task of prioritizing lives, entire hospital departments have shut down due to power shortages, leaving only a few operating under dire conditions.

“Without electricity, there is no lighting, no functioning medical equipment,” a doctor explained, underscoring the chilling transformation of hospitals into makeshift graveyards. The situation is dire: over 58,600 Palestinians have lost their lives since the onset of the conflict, a staggering number that does not account for those perishing from a lack of medical care.

As the bombardments continue, the people of Gaza are caught in a nightmarish cycle of violence and deprivation, where survival hinges not only on escaping bombs but also on accessing dwindling healthcare resources. The collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system could claim more lives than the violence itself, creating an urgent humanitarian crisis that demands immediate global attention.