Nasser Medical Complex, the last major hospital with an operational intensive care unit (ICU) in southern Gaza, is on the brink of collapse as Israeli military evacuation orders and expanding “red zones” isolate it from the population it serves, medical staff and humanitarian organizations warn.

The hospital, located in Khan Younis, is one of only 17 partially functioning hospitals out of Gaza’s 36, according to the World Health Organization and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Surrounded by areas designated for major military operations, Nasser Hospital struggles to maintain access for patients and staff amid airstrikes, road closures, and forced population displacements.

Dr. Abdelrabbu al-Atrash, head of the ICU, described the situation as dire: “The 47 patients in intensive care, many on ventilators with brain trauma, cannot be transferred. If this hospital is attacked, Gaza’s healthcare system will collapse.” He noted that the facility is surrounded on three sides, with the only access route from the south increasingly dangerous and potentially impassable within days.

The hospital is grappling with critical shortages of morphine, antibiotics, intravenous nutrition, water, and electricity. “We’re using sedatives that numb the mind but don’t relieve pain,” Al-Atrash said. Nasser has also absorbed patients displaced from Rafah’s now-closed hospitals following Israeli military operations in May.

In February, Israeli forces stormed Nasser Hospital, cutting off oxygen and electricity, resulting in patient deaths and staff arrests. Recent evacuation orders have further reduced the “safe zone” to little more than the hospital’s perimeter, raising fears of an imminent attack. “We’ve seen this pattern before. Once they surround a hospital, it’s only a matter of time,” said Ayman al-Astal, the hospital’s deputy director.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has scaled back operations at Nasser, moving burns and orthopedic services to a field hospital in Deir el-Balah due to restricted access. MSF now provides only maternity and pediatric care at Nasser, which it calls “the only hope left for Palestinians in southern Gaza.”

Nearby Al Amal Hospital, operated by the Palestinian Red Crescent, faces similar threats, with access roads declared combat zones. “Transporting patients is almost impossible,” said spokesperson Raed al-Nims, noting that ambulances have been relocated to Al-Mawasi for safety.

The crisis extends beyond Nasser and Al Amal. Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed at least 55,000 Palestinians and injured over 110,000, overwhelming Gaza’s healthcare system. Northern hospitals like Al Awda, Kamal Adwan, and the Indonesian Hospital have already closed due to attacks and raids, and southern facilities now face the same fate. (ILKHA)