The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed over 1,400 healthcare workers in Gaza since the beginning of their military assault in October 2023, according to reports from Gaza’s Ministry of Health and multiple humanitarian organizations. This staggering loss of medical personnel has plunged Gaza’s already fragile health system into a deep crisis, severely undermining its capacity to treat the tens of thousands of casualties resulting from ongoing conflict and blockade.
The deliberate and systematic targeting of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other medical staff has been widely condemned as a violation of international humanitarian law and characterized by human rights groups as a war crime. The United Nations Commission of Inquiry has described these attacks as amounting to crimes against humanity, including extermination.
The Scale of Loss: Devastating Impact on Healthcare Capacity
Since October 2023, Gaza has witnessed the deaths of more healthcare workers than in any other recent conflict worldwide. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) reports that 1 in every 40 healthcare workers in Gaza has been killed, with an average of two medical personnel dying every day. This figure includes doctors, nurses, paramedics, surgeons, and support staff who have been killed in airstrikes, artillery shelling, and targeted attacks on hospitals and ambulances.
Dr. Khaled Al-Shawa, a surgeon in Gaza, described the unbearable conditions: “After 19 months, what I feel most is helplessness. All this time has passed, and yet we still stand in front of patients and we can’t help but watch them die. We live under constant threat. Nowhere is safe.” He emphasized the urgent need for protection of medical teams, stating that their safety and the respect for medical emblems must be ensured as a sacred priority.
Attacks on Medical Facilities and Ambulances
The destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure compounds the crisis. Since the conflict began, 34 hospitals have been bombed, 80 health centers destroyed, and 162 medical institutions reduced to rubble. Ambulances, often clearly marked, have not been spared, with 142 ambulances struck by Israeli forces.
One of the most harrowing incidents occurred in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, where 14 humanitarian workers—including eight from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, six civil defense personnel, and one UNRWA employee—were executed while responding to an emergency call. Some victims were found handcuffed with gunshot wounds to the head and chest, indicating deliberate extrajudicial killings.
Aid Distribution Sites Turned Deadly
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed private initiative, began distributing aid in late May 2025 after an 11-week blockade halted supplies. However, aid distribution sites have become sites of mass casualties. Since GHF operations started, over 274 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded near aid sites, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Residents describe these sites as “execution sites,” with many Palestinians forced to risk their lives to obtain food and medical aid amid ongoing Israeli shelling and gunfire. The ICRC has reported that its field hospital in southern Gaza has treated over 2,200 patients wounded by weapons in 21 mass casualty events linked to aid distributions.
Humanitarian Workers Among the Victims
Among the killed healthcare workers are staff from international organizations such as Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF has lost multiple staff members, including hygienists and watchmen, who were killed while waiting for or distributing aid. Abdullah Hammad, an MSF hygienist, was killed on July 3, 2025, when Israeli forces targeted a group waiting for aid trucks in Khan Younis.
MSF has condemned the attacks and called for an immediate end to violence against healthcare workers and facilities, emphasizing that “Gaza has become a mass grave for Palestinians and those trying to provide assistance.”
The Human Toll: A Healthcare Workforce in Crisis
The loss of healthcare workers has left Gaza’s health system overwhelmed. Hospitals and clinics operate with critical staff shortages, forcing medical personnel to take on multiple roles beyond their specialties. Physiotherapists assist with wound care, cleaners serve as orderlies, and midwives provide palliative care.
The psychological toll on surviving medical staff is immense. Many have lost family members, colleagues, and patients, yet continue to work under constant threat. Dr. Al-Shawa expressed the despair felt by many: “We live under constant threat. At any moment, we could be targeted.”
International Legal and Ethical Implications
The systematic killing of healthcare workers and attacks on medical facilities violate international humanitarian law, which protects medical personnel and infrastructure during armed conflict. The UN Commission of Inquiry and human rights groups have called for independent investigations into these attacks and accountability for perpetrators.
Medical Aid for Palestinians has urged the international community to act decisively to end impunity and ensure the protection of Gaza’s healthcare system. The ongoing assault on medical workers not only constitutes a humanitarian disaster but also undermines any prospects for peace and stability.
The Broader Context: Gaza’s Humanitarian Catastrophe
The killing of medical workers is part of a broader pattern of violence and blockade that has devastated Gaza. Over 57,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 133,000 wounded since the conflict escalated, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt restricts the flow of food, fuel, medical supplies, and construction materials, crippling Gaza’s infrastructure and economy. Hospitals face shortages of essential medicines, electricity, and clean water, further endangering patients and staff.
Voices from Gaza: Stories of Loss and Resilience
Despite the devastation, Gaza’s healthcare workers continue to provide care under unimaginable conditions. One nurse described the scene:
“We are running out of everything—medicines, staff, hope. But we keep going because our people need us.”
Families mourn the loss of loved ones who dedicated their lives to saving others. The death of healthcare workers not only deprives Gaza of essential services but also shatters the social fabric of communities.
Urgent Call to Protect Gaza’s Healthcare Workers
The killing of hundreds of Gaza’s medical workers by the IDF has deepened the health crisis in the territory and represents a grave violation of international law. The systematic targeting of healthcare personnel and facilities has crippled Gaza’s ability to respond to the overwhelming number of casualties and humanitarian needs.
As Dr. Khaled Al-Shawa poignantly stated, “There must be urgent action to protect medical workers.” The international community faces a critical responsibility to demand an immediate halt to attacks on healthcare, ensure safe humanitarian access, and hold perpetrators accountable.
Protecting Gaza’s healthcare workers is not only a moral imperative but a necessary step toward alleviating one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises and preserving the dignity and lives of millions trapped in conflict.