International

How Gaza’s hospitals became a battleground against Israeli bombs

Published

12 months ago

August 20, 2025

Gaza’s health sector has been decimated by Israel’s devastating military assault. (AFP)

How Gaza’s hospitals became a battleground against Israeli bombs

LONDON: In Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals, doctors, nurses and other medical staff are battling against what many fear could be their most insurmountable challenge in nearly two years of Israel’s war on the territory’s people — hunger.

“We go to work sometimes without eating and we treat patients while actually feeling dizzy, lightheaded and weak,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, a physician working in the territory. “The starvation is not just hitting families in Gaza it’s hitting the health workers too.”

Gaza’s health sector has been decimated by Israel’s devastating military assault. Hospitals have been bombed, doctors killed and detained, and medical supplies cut off.

Beleaguered and bloodied, health care workers are now locked in a daily struggle against hunger and malnutrition affecting people across the entire territory.

If the medical staff cannot eat and are not strong enough to perform the painstaking work needed to treat a battered and malnourished population, the situation can only deteriorate.

In accounts provided to Arab News from medical charities, hospital workers have described their daily struggles to find enough food to sustain them through their long shifts and feed their families.

They describe colleagues fainting at work, struggling to continue their lifesaving care for those bombed, starved and shot at as they try to reach the meagre food supplies making it into the territory.

Casualties surged into hospitals, and the facilities also became targets for Israeli airstrikes. (AFP)

Abu Mughaisib, who is the deputy medical coordinator for Medecins Sans Frontieres in Gaza, said that despite the decades of conflict affecting the territory, he never imagined such a situation.

He said most days he and his colleagues eat only one basic meal of bread with canned food or lentils.

Some days the market is completely empty, and there are never any vegetables, fruit, or meat.

“Honestly, we don’t have options,” he said, almost anticipating that those outside of Gaza would not believe him.

READ ALSO:

Beleaguered and bloodied, health care workers are now locked in a daily struggle against hunger and malnutrition affecting people across the entire territory. (AFP)

“In the hospitals there is no food for the medical staff. Some health workers faint during their shift. They clean the wounds, they deliver babies, and perform surgeries on empty stomachs.

“Some of my colleagues started to lose weight rapidly. Some of them cannot produce milk to breastfeed their babies. This is not just burnout this is real physical starvation.”

Dr. Saeed Salah, medical director of the Patient’s Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in northern Gaza, described the food shortages as the “greatest crisis” his colleagues and patients have faced.

“Some members of our medical staff themselves are malnourished and can no longer sustain the energy needed to perform their duties,” he said, in response to Arab News questions passed through the charity Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Israel imposed a complete 11-week blockade on Gaza in March, leading to desperate shortages of medicines and equipment for hospitals, along with basic food for the entire population. (AFP)

“Our emergency ward is overwhelmed with people who haven’t eaten for days and are in urgent need of IV fluids. In over 21 months of operating under crisis, we’ve never seen days like these.”

Summer Al-Jamal, a finance and admin assistant for MAP based at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, described the situation there as “deeply distressing.”

The hospital has been inundated with victims from shooting attacks on Palestinians gathered at aid distribution hubs nearby, as well as patients injured from Israeli bombings, or who are sick.

Increasingly, they have been treating malnourished families and their children.

“The hospital is heavily burdened with departments overwhelmed by trauma cases and critically injured patients,” she said after a recent visit to the facility. “The scale of suffering and the intensity of the emergency were unlike anything I had witnessed before.

READ ALSO:

“The medical staff appear exhausted, physically and emotionally. Many looked pale, fatigued, and undernourished. The toll of the past weeks had left them drained.”

After Israel launched its latest Gaza campaign in response to the Hamas-led attack in October 2023, the territory’s health service soon came under fire.

Casualties surged into hospitals, and the facilities also became targets for Israeli airstrikes. Nearly two years into the conflict, the health service is broken.

If the medical staff cannot eat then they are not strong enough to perform the painstaking work needed to treat a battered and malnourished population. (AFP)

Of the 36 hospitals in the territory before Israel’s current war on Gaza, only 18 remain partially operational, and less than 40 percent of primary health care facilities are still functional, according to the World Health Organization.

All the facilities have been damaged and are flooded with patients far beyond their maximum operating capacities.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,500 Palestinian health workers since October 2023, with the WHO recording at least 700 attacks on health care facilities in the territory.

Doctors and hospital staff have been detained, and more than 10,000 critically ill patients need to be evacuated.

And then there is the dwindling medical supplies. Israel imposed a complete 11-week blockade on Gaza in March, leading to desperate shortages of medicines and equipment for hospitals, along with basic food for the entire population.

The main UN agency distributing aid was forced to stop operating and was eventually replaced by the US- and Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Some supplies have resumed but at a fraction of what aid agencies say is required.

The dire situation for the health sector was further exacerbated by the sharp increase in casualties last month as Israel ramped up its campaign in the face of an international outcry and widespread accusations of genocide.

The WHO reported 13,500 injuries in Gaza in July — the highest since the first three months of Israel’s war on the territory. Many of these took place when Israeli troops repeatedly opened fire on crowds of Palestinians as they waited to collect food from GHF distribution points.

How Gaza’s hospitals became a battleground against Israeli bombs

ARAB NEWS

Related Topics:Featured Gaza hospitals Israeli bombs

Up Next

Why Africa deserves two seats at UN security council – Tinubu at TICAD9

Don't Miss

US revokes visas of 6,000 students for terrorism, others

International

Indonesia Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 38 as Rescue Teams Battle Landslides, Aftershocks

Published

4 hours ago

August 15, 2026

Trends Admin

Indonesia Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 38 as Rescue Teams Battle Landslides, Aftershocks

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores Island in eastern Indonesia on Saturday morning, killing at least 38 people, injuring dozens more, and forcing thousands to flee their homes. The death toll has been climbing steadily as rescue teams reach affected areas, with officials warning that the number could rise further as teams access more remote communities. The earthquake struck at 4:58 AM local time at a shallow depth of 15 kilometers, making it particularly destructive and capable of generating significant ground shaking.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency chief Suharyanto confirmed at a news conference that 38 people have been confirmed dead, with two seriously injured, 11 sustaining minor injuries, and approximately 2,000 people evacuating on their own. The governor of East Nusa Tenggara province, Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, reported that at least five people died from collapsing rubble while they slept. The earthquake has caused widespread destruction across the island, with preliminary reports indicating 54 houses have been severely damaged, along with five healthcare facilities, three places of worship, six government buildings, an educational institution, and a warehouse. The hardest-hit areas include Sikka, Manggarai, and East Manggarai provinces.

Rescue efforts have been severely complicated by landslides that cut off several roads leading to the hardest-hit areas. Teams have yet to reach Nagekeo, the region closest to the epicentre, where communications signals have been affected and damage has been reported to houses, warehouses, and government facilities. Our focus will be on locating the victims who are buried under the rubble, said Fathur Rahman, head of the Maumere rescue agency. Attempts to reach Nagekeo by car were blocked by landslides, while another team attempted to go by ferry. About 2,000 residents in Nagekeo have evacuated, and authorities also reported traffic congestion and power outages affecting parts of the regency.

READ ALSO:

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency initially issued a tsunami warning, urging residents along the northern coast of Flores to evacuate immediately to higher ground. Tsunami waves of less than 1 metre were recorded in several areas before the warning was lifted about three hours after the quake. “Remain calm, avoid unverified information and stay away from buildings that are cracked or damaged by the earthquake,” said BMKG Earthquake and Tsunami Center Director Wijayanto.

Residents described scenes of terror as the ground shook violently in the early morning hours. Yulian Juita Ekalia, 37, a university lecturer in Ruteng city, told AFP: “I have never felt an earthquake this big. It felt like we were on a trampoline; it was really scary. As I rushed to get outside, everything in the house fell down: the television, my son’s trophies, the dish racks, suitcases on top of the wardrobes.” Nona, 51, a resident of Talibura village, told Reuters: “The quake was massive, the shock was so strong, we were resting at home with family. There were 13 of us inside the house and we all ran to save ourselves.” Arnold Welianto, who lives in Talibura near the coastline, told the BBC: “The water remained low for quite some time, so everyone panicked and ran.” Many residents of Talibura are choosing to remain outdoors as the aftershocks mean they are afraid to return to their homes.

Indonesia lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense tectonic activity that makes it highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Flores was struck by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in 1992, which triggered a tsunami and resulted in around 2,500 deaths. The Boxing Day tragedy of 2004, a 9.1-magnitude tremor off Sumatra, triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 across the region, about 170,000 of them in Indonesia. In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing. Dozens of aftershocks have been recorded following Saturday’s quake, with the strongest measuring a magnitude of 6.1.

Indonesia Earthquake: Death Toll Rises to 38 as Rescue Teams Battle Landslides, Aftershocks

International

Netanyahu Calls UK ‘Islamic Republic of Britain,’ Sparks Outrage Over Islamophobic Remark

Published

21 hours ago

August 14, 2026

Trends Admin

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu Calls UK ‘Islamic Republic of Britain,’ Sparks Outrage Over Islamophobic Remark

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked a diplomatic firestorm after referring to the United Kingdom as the “Islamic Republic of Britain” during a podcast interview, drawing sharp condemnation from British Jewish leaders and former government officials while underscoring growing tensions between the two long-standing allies. Netanyahu made the remarks during an appearance on the Israeli podcast Melech Blitzer Haim, which aired on Thursday, August 13, 2026. The Israeli leader was discussing British media coverage of Israel, contrasting what he described as the “positive” reporting by journalist Randolph Churchill during the 1967 Six-Day War with the current British political climate.

“Try finding that in Britain today. What’s called ‘the Islamic Republic of Britain’,” Netanyahu said, according to translated comments published by Israeli media.

When the podcast host asked whether “all of Europe isn’t already like that,” referring to demographic changes and the growth of Muslim communities across the continent, Netanyahu responded, “Yes.” He then invoked remarks previously made by US Vice President JD Vance, stating: “Someone said that the first Islamic republic with nuclear weapons will be the Islamic Republic of Britain… so we’re making sure there won’t be another one in Iran.”

READ ALSO:

The remarks were immediately condemned by British and Irish Jewish leaders, who accused Netanyahu of using divisive and irresponsible language at a time of heightened social tensions. “At a time when antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and social division are causing real fear across our country, language of this kind is dangerous and irresponsible,” said Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Lev, co-leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism. “Prime Minister Netanyahu does not speak for British Jews. His words do not represent us.”

Gavin Barwell, a former Downing Street chief of staff under Prime Minister Theresa May, described the remarks as “blatant Islamophobia” and questioned whether Netanyahu could still be regarded as a friend of Britain. “Let’s hope everyone will now shed the pretence some still cling to that this man is any friend of Britain,” Barwell wrote on X. British broadcaster Piers Morgan also weighed in, sharing a clip of the remarks on X and calling Netanyahu an “idiot.” The post attracted hundreds of thousands of views and sparked a wider online dispute, with Israeli Channel 14 correspondent Omri Haim responding: “Yes, he is the idiot. How is Birmingham doing? Don’t come crying when you feel the water boiling, frog.” Israeli opposition politician Avi Dabush, running for the Knesset as a Democrats party candidate, also criticised the remarks, writing on X: “That’s what happens when there’s a horrific diplomatic failure, and an inability to rally countries in the world in favor of our interests.” Dabush noted that Britain is a member of the UN Security Council “six times the size of Israel.”

Netanyahu’s comments come amid increasingly strained relations between Israel and Britain, despite the countries’ traditionally strong ties. Tensions have escalated since the Labour Party returned to power in the UK in 2024. Under former Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Britain paused free trade talks with Israel and suspended some arms export licences. The UK has also imposed sanctions on far-right Israeli cabinet members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Last year, Britain joined France and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state.

Current British Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently apologised for Labour’s initial response to Israel’s actions in Gaza, saying the party was too slow to call for a ceasefire. Burnham has indicated he would pursue further sanctions on individuals and entities involved in violence in Gaza and consider measures to ban trading goods with illegal settlements. “We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government,” Burnham said.

Rodwan Abouharb, associate professor of international relations at University College London, described Netanyahu’s comments as a “new low” in UK-Israel relations, while suggesting they could also serve Netanyahu’s domestic political interests as he faces a fractured governing coalition ahead of Israel’s October 27 election. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, said on X: “Netanyahu will say anything. This is as ridiculous as stating that Israel is a democracy that abides by the rule of law for all its citizens; or that it has the most moral army in the world.”

Netanyahu Calls UK ‘Islamic Republic of Britain,’ Sparks Outrage Over Islamophobic Remark

International

Iran rejects US claims that Strait of Hormuz has reopened

Published

1 day ago

August 14, 2026

Trends Admin

Iran rejects US claims that Strait of Hormuz has reopened

Iran has rejected claims by U.S. officials that the Strait of Hormuz has reopened, insisting that the strategic waterway remains closed to normal commercial shipping until its conditions are accepted.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), the Iranian body responsible for maritime traffic through the waterway, said repeated statements from Washington did not change the situation.

“Claims and repeated posts by U.S. officials that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer blocked do not change the reality,” the authority said in a post on X.

The PGSA maintained that the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.

The latest development followed a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States had “total control” of the strategic waterway and would maintain that control.

Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the U.S. naval blockade around Iran had created a “wall of steel” and suggested that Tehran lacked the ability to challenge the American military presence.

Iran has rejected the assertion, with its officials continuing to maintain that Tehran controls passage through the waterway.

The dispute comes amid an ongoing confrontation between the United States and Iran, with Washington maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran has restricted most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

READ ALSO:

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington could maintain the naval blockade of Iran indefinitely by rotating military vessels in and out of the region. The United States says the blockade is intended to restrict Iranian shipping while allowing non-Iranian vessels to pass.

Iranian officials, however, have said the Strait of Hormuz will not fully reopen unless the United States changes its position and accepts Tehran’s demands.

Iran’s newly appointed Supreme National Security Council secretary, Mohsen Rezaei, said the United States must end the war, address Iran’s frozen assets and support an end to hostilities across the region, including in Lebanon and Gaza.

Rezaei also said other Iranian demands had been communicated to Washington through mediators.

Meanwhile, Iran and Oman are discussing a possible arrangement for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said any agreement between Tehran and Muscat on a new route would be separate from the question of reopening the strait itself.

That distinction is significant because reports earlier this month suggested that Iran and Oman were close to an arrangement that could facilitate commercial shipping through the waterway. Reuters reported that the proposed deal would not, by itself, lead to the reopening of the strait, as Iran has tied the move to broader issues involving the U.S. blockade and the war.

Despite Washington’s claim of control and Tehran’s insistence that the waterway remains blocked, vessels have continued to move through the Strait of Hormuz in limited numbers.

According to shipping data reported by Reuters, nine commodity vessels transited the strait on Thursday, compared with five the previous day. However, the figure remained below the August average of about 12 vessels a day. Most of the vessels that passed through used routes controlled by Iran.

The current traffic levels remain dramatically below normal.

The disruption has forced energy companies and traders to explore alternative arrangements. Reuters reported that TotalEnergies’ trading arm, Totsa, was offering Iraqi crude for loading at locations outside the Strait of Hormuz as buyers remained reluctant to send vessels to terminals inside the waterway because of security concerns.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes, connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Any prolonged disruption threatens the movement of crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied natural gas from major energy producers in the Gulf to international markets.

The continuing restrictions have therefore raised concerns over global oil supplies, shipping costs and energy prices, particularly as the United States and Iran remain unable to reach a lasting agreement.

The crisis has also affected financial markets. Reuters reported that Gulf stock markets were mixed amid concerns over the prolonged disruption, while Brent crude remained elevated as investors assessed the risk of further escalation.

The situation has become increasingly complicated by competing claims over who controls the waterway.

While President Donald Trump maintains that the United States has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian authorities insist that Washington has not taken control of the passage and that vessels must comply with Iranian requirements to transit the area.

For now, the conflicting claims have not translated into a return to normal shipping. Maritime traffic remains restricted, diplomatic efforts involving Iran, Oman and the United States remain unresolved, and Tehran continues to insist that the Strait of Hormuz will not be fully reopened until its conditions are met.