Israel’s Attacks Echo Devastation in Gaza
As Israel Broadens Its Invasion, Health Systems in Gaza and Lebanon Are Under Attack
Israel’s destruction of Gaza’s civil and health infrastructure continues to shock humanitarian workers who manage to enter the enclave during their missions. Isabelle Defourny, a physician with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), described the dire conditions in Gaza during a recent media briefing, following her latest visit to the region. She was once again stunned by the precarious living conditions of forcibly displaced people and the landscape, completely flattened by Israeli attacks.
One of the major concerns at the moment is the approaching winter, which most of Gaza’s population will face in makeshift tents, many located near potential flood zones. The United Nations (UN) has developed a plan to mitigate the risks posed by flooding and cold weather, but officials warned that it cannot be implemented if Israeli authorities continue to block the delivery of supplies. To carry through this winterization plan, essential items including blankets, heaters, and temporary drainage equipment must be delivered quickly. However, Defourny said that UNICEF officials on the ground estimated that it would take 2.5 years to fully implement the plan at the current rate of Israeli-imposed delays.
The cold and flooding are certain to trigger a wider spread of infections, exacerbated by hunger and malnutrition, as access to nutritious food remains extremely limited. In fact, according to the UN, more than 1.4 million people in Gaza did not receive their monthly food rations last month due to the same restrictions blocking the delivery of winter necessities.
Children remain the most affected by the crisis, enduring trauma, hunger, and displacement with no chance of semblance of normal life. The situation is made even worse by the destruction of most of Gaza’s education system. According to recent assessments, even in the best-case scenario of a ceasefire now, children in Gaza will have lost 2-3 years of their education. In the worst case—more likely, given Israel’s ongoing attacks—where school would resume only in 2026, this loss could extend to five years. The gap will have long-term consequences for children’s mental health, as they continue to live in traumatic conditions where they, their friends, and teachers have suffered life-changing injuries, with no access to adequate care or support.
As Israel expands its invasion into Lebanon, experts from organizations like Action Against Hunger and Save the Children have expressed similar concerns about children’s mental health and education in the region. Jennifer Moorehead, Save the Children, described the past week in Beirut as a “nightmare” and “a scary moment to be a kid.”
Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have already targeted healthcare, mirroring the situation in Gaza over the past year. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that dozens of health workers have been killed over the course of only 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday, with hundreds others injured. Medics in the field are constantly at risk, while at least a dozen health facilities have been damaged. The entire healthcare system operates under the threat of power outages, which would leave them relying on generators.
The situation is further complicated by Lebanon’s mostly privatized healthcare system, which is fragmented and fragile, as pointed out by Ahmad Chreif of Doctors of the World. Adding to the pressure are the effects of a recent cholera outbreak, an ongoing economic crisis, and sudden “evacuation orders” from the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the middle of the night, causing mass displacement. As a minimum, health workers are expecting a surge in skin infections similar to those seen in Gaza.
To make matters even worse, the population in the areas hardest hit by the invasion—predominantly Palestinian and Syrian refugees—already had limited access to healthcare. According to Chreif, many fleeing their homes left behind essential medicines. As they are forced to seek replacement medicines from health institutions, this has contributed to an immediate shortage of drugs in Lebanon.
Chreif stressed that the only real solution to prevent further deterioration of health conditions in both Lebanon and Gaza is an immediate ceasefire.
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