War and shortages push Gaza hospitals to breaking point

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported on July 30, 2026, that Gaza’s health system is under severe strain from war damage, shortages and limits on supplies entering the enclave, leaving patients with chronic illnesses and traumatic injuries without reliable care. At al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the report focused on 14-year-old Ruwaa Muntasir Abdul Karim, a kidney failure patient from Jabalia whose dialysis sessions have been reduced while her family waits for permission to leave Gaza for a transplant that doctors cannot perform locally.

The article cited the Palestinian Ministry of Health as saying half of Gaza’s dialysis machines are no longer functioning because of a shortage of sodium bicarbonate, a material needed to run the equipment. It said the number of hospitals able to treat kidney failure patients has fallen from seven to four. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights was cited as saying Gaza had about 1,200 kidney failure patients before the war, compared with about 700 now, after more than 470 deaths linked to missed dialysis and medication shortages.

At Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, kidney department head Osama Abu Rahma told Al Jazeera that 25 of its 51 dialysis machines are out of service, forcing shorter and fewer treatments for 240 patients. The report said complications including weakness, breathing problems and dangerous potassium levels are increasing.

Al Jazeera also described a wider rehabilitation crisis for amputees and trauma survivors. It cited the World Health Organization as saying more than 43,000 people in Gaza have life-changing injuries, and that 5,000 to 6,000 amputees were estimated as of October 2025. Physiotherapists and patients described shortages of prosthetics, wheelchairs and crutches, while the report noted that mental health needs are also growing after nearly three years of war.