The right to health in Gaza is now a privilege

These days, Gaza's healthcare system is not in the news.

What happened

These days, Gaza's healthcare system is not in the news. As happened to Al Shifa Hospital, while I was working there in November 2023; there are no bombings of hospital wards or sniper killings in their yards; there are no new claims of secret tunnels under medical facilities, there are no violent raids on hospitals.

And yet Gaza's medical system continues to suffer from worsening collapse. Perhaps, this is the most apparent in displacement camps, where the most impoverished and vulnerable individuals are forced to live. There, the devastated healthcare system cannot reach those who need it the most, nor are the ill and injured able to come to its few functioning points. Lack of sanitation, safe potable water and constant exposure to unbearable heat or cold create the health crisis even worse.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around the right to health in Gaza is now a privilege point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.