Thu May 29 21:23:30 UTC 2025: **Gaza’s Last Functioning Hospital in the North Shut Down Amidst Deadly Attacks and Humanitarian Crisis**
**Gaza City** – Al-Awda Hospital, the last operating medical facility in northern Gaza, has been forced to close following an order from Israel, leaving dozens of patients and medical staff stranded and health officials scrambling for solutions. The closure comes as the region is ravaged by intense bombardment, starvation, and a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The Gaza Health Ministry has condemned the closure as a “continuation of the violations and crimes” against the territory’s medical sector. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 97 people, including 13 patients, remain at the hospital. The WHO is planning a mission to relocate the patients, but notes that critical medical equipment cannot be moved due to impassable roads. “With Al-Awda’s closure, there is no remaining functional hospital in North Gaza — severing a critical lifeline for the people there,” the WHO said in a statement, pleading for the hospital’s protection and the safety of its staff and patients.
The closure coincides with continued Israeli military activity and displacement orders in Gaza. At least 70 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since Thursday, according to local medical sources. Airstrikes continue to target residential buildings, with one strike in Gaza City leaving approximately 30 people missing under the rubble.
The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating. Limited food aid distribution is plagued by chaos and violence. Residents report severe hunger and desperation. “We need this box because there’s no food to eat. We haven’t seen any food or flour in five days,” one resident told Al Jazeera, referencing a box of supplies marked with blood.
The UN is struggling to deliver aid, with 600 trucks stuck on the Gaza side of the Karem Abu Salem crossing, blocked by Israel. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, warned that “starvation is threatening the future of the children” and called for unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance. The UN is pushing back against attempts by Israel to bypass the UN from aid distribution, with officials alleging that this self-serving approach would further weaponize humanitarian assistance in the territory.
The international community is facing mounting pressure to intervene, with calls for immediate action to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of life-saving aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
First Piper 